Missed chance
by Five seas
Summary: I am a shinigami" She knew her fantasies often went astray, but that was too much. When Byakuya decided to confess, he thought about every detail but one. ByaYuzu, sequel to Re-education.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclamer: I don't own Bleach...I don't even own the detergent :P.**

**So this is the long awaited sequel, and the first ever Byakuya/Yuzu fic in this fandom...ok, so maybe there are more, but not centered around this couple. Everyone, thank you for reading Re-education and I hope you like this one too, I may not be able to update often, but I do hope you'll like the chapters. Rest assured, I won't drag this for 37 chapters, but I hope this doesn't share the fate of most of my sequels...**

**So...I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. **

* * *

**Different truth**

What attracted all those guys?

She was too innocent, too beautiful, too giving. Kuchiki Byakuya knew these things and he loved her for it, but these men were only after one thing, and she was too naïve to notice. Yuzu…she needed more saving even than Inoue Orihime.

It wasn't like he was stalking her to know, but you just had to look at her to make out her character. Sweet, caring, never using a foul word, always with the best opinion for everybody. If a car ran her down, she'd think it was her fault and blame herself for it. Thankfully, she had an overprotective brother who chased away the unwanted suitors…

Well, at least when he wasn't around.

He had to be careful, of course. It wasn't some law or arrangement, but there were so many problems, so many things that stopped him from being completely open with her. There was his family (a bunch of ancient dinosaurs, who unfortunately had teeth), her family (read: an annoying brother), the fact that he was dead and a shinigami…the list was long.

But not impossible to overcome. That was the reason why he stubbornly kept loving her and tried to make his world ready for her.

He went up against the elders. The geezers were shocked to the foundations of their ancient souls when he not only allowed his beloved sister to marry that commoner Kurosaki Ichigo (when he expressed his total dislike of the latter from the second he saw him), and then made arrangements for them (and only them), to take over the stead of the clan in case he should die without producing and heir.

For those seven or eight years he went through more scandals, fits and assassins than in his entire lifetime. That, and the love potion a certain mad scientist had created and that was shaking his system up like hell.

But every effort and hard time seemed worth it when he saw her, when she smiled at him and called him Byakuya-san, when they talked about so many different things as he helped her around the clinic. And when he wasn't seeing her under the pretext of visiting his beloved sister, they wrote. He took great precaution with those, and made sure nobody could catch them. For that purpose, he had to let Yachiru in on the whole secret, but since she liked him, she wouldn't tell anybody. Yuzu's letters came through the same way, and as soon as he read and memorized them, he quickly burned them along with the useless reports. Because he knew he couldn't be too careful-the most dangerous of the Kuchiki elders were isolated after their first open campaign to assassinate him and Rukia, but you could never be too careful, right?

It was all worth it, he knew. Just to see her smile, and everything seemed possible for him.

_That was Byakuya…_

_…And now for Yuzu…_

She knew that sometimes, fate is in your genes. Sometimes, your life is predetermined. Perhaps that's why she felt so guilty that she was different. She wasn't a glamorous football player like Karin-chan, or had such a noble profession as Ichi-nii, and she certainly wasn't in love with someone so close as Rukia-chan or Sado-san. She wasn't adventurous either, unlike her brother who went to work for the Peace Corps just so that he could be with his wife, or like Karin who turned down more successful offers just to go to a college in Spain and be with her beau.

It was unnatural, yet she couldn't be happy any other way. She was 22 years old, a secretary who was trying to get her diploma in botany and she was in love with her brother-in-law, a man who was a good ten years older than her.

It had all started rather innocently, with him coming to find his sister, and then he had lived for a while with them, had helped out and even saved her life from a speeding vehicle, although her memory of that time was a bit blurry. She liked him, even though he was very reserve. He offered kindness to those who deserved it, and Yuzu loved that. Perhaps at the beginning it was nothing more than an infatuation, a school-girl crush, a shojo-manga type love that wasn't going to last in the real world. But when he had left to work in Osaka, a place that seemed like another world to her, she had discovered that the letters they exchanged were far from satisfactory for her aching heart.

Kuchiki Byakuya…never had she seen a man, so composed and reserved, and again, she had never seen anyone who could hold so much kindness and devotion in one's heart. His presence seemed to have woken her up, from that little timeless realm she had lived ever since her mother died. Her life had been revolving around keeping the family together, with Ichigo's stubbornness and Karin's tomboyisness and Isshin's quirks…sometimes, she felt she was the only "really normal" person in the family, but suddenly, there had been Byakuya, holding her close to him, to save her from a speeding car. She didn't remember much from that day, other than the deafening beat of her heart.

Suddenly, the world startled her, as if somebody had turned on the volume at max and she started to notice the wonderful songs of the birds, the pretty colors on the street, the way everything was ten different things at a time….She noticed how she had changed over the years, how she still was changing, how she started to metamorphose from an ugly worm to a pretty butterfly…no, she noticed how she turned into a woman. And that was probably the most enthusing thing of all.

Sadly, her family still saw her as reliable, sweet little Yuzu, and she thought Byakuya saw her like that too. He was older, he had been married, he had a sister…he probably saw her as a baby. It pained her, but that was probably the truth. He would never see her as a woman unless she made him. Somehow, that had motivated her to make some changes into her future plans.

Of course, somebody had to look after their father, because like Ichigo said: "Somebody has to keep the old goat from setting the house on fire.", and Yuzu knew it. However, she also knew she had to be independent, and moved into her own apartment…not too far away, of course. But the truth was that Yuzu was an incurably romantic. It was a bit shameful, but she had harbored a wildly fantastic vision of her life ahead. She'd work hard to get a good job that would give her some financial stability. She'd follow her own morals and make her family proud of her. Then, Byakuya may fall into some hardship, something that would make him short on staff, and then she'd volunteer to help him out as a….oh, maybe a secretary. Slowly, step by step, thanks to her skills and support, he'd get out of the setback, and by the time he's back on his feet, he'd have realized that Yuzu was more precious to him than other women, and eventually, he'd fall in love with her the way she had fallen in love with him.

Every time she tried to bring herself back to the ground with arguments like: such things never happen in real life, for some reason, that motivated her even more. There was no getting out of it, she was in enchanted waters.

Little did she know that the truth was a bit different.

* * *

It was a nice summer evening, and she had just come back from her job, when the phone rang and she ran to get it. Still with her shoes on, a little breathless, she got it and almost passed out when she heard Byakuya's voice on it.

"Did I chose an…inappropriate time to call?" he asked, probably mistaking her heavy breath to be caused by something he had interrupted.

"No, no!" eager to show him the opposite, Yuzu tried to compose herself "How are you, Byakuya-san?"

"I am well…I'm in town for a…business meeting…" he seemed hesitant "Will it be inconvenient for me to come and visit?"

"Yeah, sure…" almost too excited, Yuzu quickly gave him her new address

"Will it be…ok with you if I came tonight?" there was some noise in the background, probably him leaving his brief case on the hotel bed…"I'm sorry, I just have to…I'm not very sure how much time I have."

"Of course! You can come in…one hour, if you like." Yuzu's head was spinning, as he agreed and bid her goodbye courtetiously. Then she hung up, and stared at the phone wondering if this was real, if this was actually happening to her, and if she hadn't been too eager…

And then she realized that she had wasted a whole of five minutes daydreaming, while there was so much to do…Knowing Byakuya, he'd be punctual to the very last nano-second, the apartment was a mess, she didn't have anything in the fridge and she needed a shower, quickly.

Yuzu beat the delivery service of the restaurant showering, and picked up her order in her dressing gown. It was a disaster, she thought as she tried to put some order into the living room, he was coming and she had absolutely nothing to wear. Being the well brought up girl she was, she laid money aside for dark days, but that had definitely had a bad influence on her wardrobe-all she had were outfits for the office. Of course, there were was a dress she had bought when her friends took her on a shopping spree, but she never intended to put it on, and it was not quite something she could wear without giving him the wrong impression.

So finally she settled on a white blouse and a blue skirt, casual, yet when she undid the first two buttons-provocative. Maybe it was a little not like her usual taste, but hey, it was Byakuya.

* * *

The heir to the Kuchiki clan took more time to stare at the phone. Earlier that day, he had finally crushed another massive campaign against him. The assassins were rookies, so they didn't have the guts to poison themselves and die, and they sang very quickly. All the people responsible for the plot were immediately sent to exile, but not before Byakuya suggested that they should try and end their lives before they brought more disgrace to the family. They sent for their seconds immediately.

And now he was free…well, not completely, but the biggest threat was gone. A good eight years had passed since that summer when he had first fallen in love with Yuzu, and he knew that if only she could love him back, life…afterlife would be perfect.

So why waste more time? He wasn't sure why was he so stunned even now? Perhaps it was the fact that the moment he'd been dreaming about was mere minutes away from him. Because Byakuya too, was really romantic.

Carefully, he looked at the bouquet of white lilies he had gotten for her. It wasn't roses, but hey, he could shower her with them later. For now, he had to be careful. He still had to go through the hardest part, which was confessing everything, absolutely EVERYTHING to her.

Scary.

At the appointed hour, he flash-stepped before her door. A deer breath to stead the nerves, a check if his breath didn't stink, and then…he knocked.

* * *

Yuzu tripped over her own feet as she rushed forward. She stopped at the mirror and ruffled her long, blond locks and opened it.

Byakuya smiled! He smiled! And he had FLOWERS for her! Yuzu hoped she didn't pass out there and then, as she mustered some coherent sentences to invite him and thank him for his attention. Then he went into her kitchen, instead of the living room, and actually helped her find a vase and lay the table. The tension faded as the routine kicked in, and the room was filled with coziness, warmth. Yuzu felt like heaven.

* * *

He watched her as she poured them both a soft drink to go with their food, and he thought-god, she's beautiful. The twilight was making her hair look like sunlight, and her eyes were brilliant with…I want to kiss her, he thought. I so damn much want to kiss her!

"Byakuya-san?" Yuzu turned around to meet his intense gaze. For some reason, it gave her chills. Slowly, he walked to her and said:

"I need to discuss something with you."

"You do?" he was mesmerizing her….she was going to faint…she just knew it… "Like...what?"

"But first I need to do something…" he said and came closer "May I?"

"Sure…" she mumbled, not knowing how to react.

Byakuya cupped her face and slowly lowered his body so that their mouths could be aligned. Go slowly, he thought, we don't want to do anything harsh, just press your lips together and go nice and slow…

The plan worked down to the pressing of the lips. Then…everything shut down.

He inhaled her scent and it was driving him crazy. He wanted more, so much more. The love potion kicked in, a thousand times stronger than before, urging him to go further, to take what was so obligingly bestowed on him.

Yuzu's vision dialed. His body was hot, far more hotter than she'd imagined, and all the blood rushed into her face, coloring her cheeks and lips in crimson red. She got on her tippy toes just to get a better access to him, her leg muscles hurt from the tension, and the sweet pleasure that was spilling all over her body was enough to kill her.

His hands were around her, securing her tightly, and she clung to him, holding onto dear life. How could he be so strong, and she so impossibly fragile…it just wasn't fair.

Eventually, the need for air forced them to break apart, and Yuzu had to hold on the kitchen sink so that she would not faint. Byakuya braced himself on the window frame, too disrupted to say anything.

She looked up at him, still panting. She needed to know, she HAD to know...even though it was like all her dreams were coming true, she had to know why…

"Byakuya-san…" she breathed and tried to reach for him

"Not yet…" he rose a hand and looked up "Not yet…I still…I still must tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Yuzu brushed his trembling limb off and held onto his shoulder "It doesn't matter. Byakuya-san…Byakuya…is this really…what I…"

"Please…" he held her shoulders "I must tell you everything…before anything else is said, you must know everything."

"It doesn't matter…whatever it is…" he shook his head and forced her to sit down on a chair. Then he started pacing around the room, like a caged lion, and then, suddenly full of resolve, turned to her and said:

"I am a shinigami."

* * *

A/N-Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, so I was sick lately and I couldn't upload-sorry about that. Hopefully, my brain has produced something readable (I can't tell, I was dizzy at the time I wrote it :P)

* * *

**

Human flaws

She knew her dreams often went astray, but she never believed that they could go as far as that. "I am a shinigami. A god of death."

And then she laughed out loud-she couldn't believe it was some wild fantasy because it was true. Irreversibly true.

She had just sat there, on the chair of her ever so small kitchen, and listened to him talk. He was reluctant to speak, at first. Well, it was understandable…after all, it was a long story. But slowly, his tale unfolded and he spoke evenly, calmly, as if reciting something he had been pondering over for ages. And Yuzu just sat there, and listened, not really hearing the words, just listening to the sound of his voice.

A shinigami. A god of death, sent from a place called Seiretei to collect souls. He had met his brother when he first came to collect his sister, Rukia, and bring her before justice for giving her powers to a human. He had almost killed her brother…numerous times. He wasn't just the head of a noble clan, his family was one of the most powerful and dangerous ones in the afterworld.

Any other person would've laughed at such talk and gotten Byakuya to the mental ward, but Yuzu wasn't just your ordinary "normal person". She had seen enough to make a normal person's hair stand on it's edge, and now with what he told her, it made perfect sense. Yet…yet…

It was true! Everything was true. She didn't know whether the realization was the worst part, or the fact that all the time she had held back, all those times she tried not to cry, thinking that she was abnormal in some way, it was perfectly alright, and they all knew it. It was either sweet or too hypocritical to be true. They had lied to her under the pretext of protecting her, but still, it felt like a lie.

"_But they were protecting you."_ An annoyingly correct voice of reason called out _"Hollows, arrancar, vizard and bount-they are all too powerful, too dangerous. Would the knowledge of what's going on around you help any of them? Or would it just make you feel better?"_

Maybe, but that's not the point, she told herself. They were lying. He was lying.

He had told her everything, then just stood there, in the small kitchen bathed by the sunset, and had waited…waited for what? What did he expect her to tell him? After all he said…and then he had just turned away, and walked out, leaving her to…stare. Just like that.

It took some time for it to sink in. She cleaned up the mess she made while waiting for him, then sat down on her bed and tried to think.

Unfortunately, all rational thought had gone on a vacation to the Bahamas, and it wasn't likely to come back. Her mind was blurry, and it all came back to that kiss, drowned in the light of the dying sun. Had her love story ended before it had even began?

* * *

_Hot lips meeting hot lips, hands seeking through rough clothing, burning breath on skin, as white as virgin snow, eyes cutting into the features of the perfect face with the fierceness of daggers. Collapsing somewhere midway to their destination, their limbs intertwined impatiently, and sought what they had been waiting for so long. Shaking fingers running under those restricting suits, finding warm, yet soft flesh and…._

"Why won't you stop that?" And annoyingly MALE voice got her out of her reverie and Honsho Chizuru opened her eyes reluctantly, to meet those of a familiar red-headed man.

"What's it to you, Renji?" asked the young woman, tucking her hair behind her ears "I have work to do."

"Not enough to stop ya from daydreaming, right? About Orihime, right?"

"What's your problem, you ass! Are you in love with MY Hime-chan to be stalking me like that?!" the tone was half-playful, half-menacing. Renji's eyes narrowed.

"Listen, you duck, you ain't got the slightest idea who I love!"

"You're right, so…why not leave me alone?!" she began arranging the returned books. One of the reasons why she chose to be a librarian was that in the midst of quiet solitude nobody would censor her for her sexual orientation. Also, since he probably didn't know how to read, Renji would probably leave her alone.

Unfortunately, things never turn out the way we want them to. Renji had not only decided to learn how to read, but he had continued his advances to her most shamelessly. Chizuru sighed in exasperation as she climbed a latter to return a tome to its place and realized all to late that Renji had positioned himself below her, holding the latter so that she wouldn't fall….and staring straight up at her.

"Hey!" the lesbian was about to shriek, but remembered where she was, so she quickly slid down, grabbed the red-haired man by the collar and dragged him out to the place where the staff gathered for a smoke. "Listen here, Abarai, I don't care what your problem is, but I'm telling you here and now, drop whatever you've got on your mind about me! I have pepper spray and a permission to carry a gun and I'm not afraid to use any of them!"

"I bet you blackmailed Kurosaki to give you a letter saying you're not mentally unstable to get that!"

"Shut up! I only asked him if he was gay not to pay attention to Kuchiki-san! I did them both a favor!" Damn, Renji thought, if he hadn't drunk a love potion to fall in love with her, he would've strangled Chizuru with his bare hands for that. But since he had, there was no getting out of it now.

"Whatever you may think, I'm not driven by some fetish to rape lesbians, Chizuru." Renji gritted his teeth.

"I don't care even if you said you suffered a sex-change operation! I'm not interested in you!"

"Why? I can do anything any woman can do, plus more."

"EWW! I don't want to hear it!"

"Oh, yeah, little miss "Let's do it in the school yard, Hime-chan" is afraid of the word sex?"

"Listen here, Abarai, it was fun at the beginning, ok? I actually thought you were really nuts to make advances on me, but I guessed you were short on people to invite to the prom, after Kurosaki actually decided to date Rukia-chan, but now it's getting stupid. We have absolutely nothing in common. No interests coincide, sexual or not, we have nothing to talk about, we don't even like each other. To date…"

"Don't get started on it! You haven't been on a date in your entire life!"

"Shut up! At least I'm planting my efforts in more…fruitful soil."

"Oh? You haven't stopped giving Inoue dirty looks even after she announced her engagement to Ishida. Is that your idea of fruitful?"

"Well, she and Ishida aren't big fans of PDA, but they don't even hold hands in public. You can never be too sure she's not trying a brokeback marriage."

"Inoue? Don't be ridiculous!"

"You're the one who's ridiculous? You're actually trying to persuade a woman, who's declared her eternal love for her own gender that it would be wonderful to try a relationship with a pig of the opposite sex!"

"If I was a pig, I'd have done more than beg you to go out with me."

"You son of a….What have I done to deserve this?!"

"Listen, we're both scorned by the people we care for, so why not try with each other?"

"Because I don't like you."

"But I like you!"

"This is the same refrain we've had for seven years now!"

"Seven and a half!"

"Whatever! My point is that this THING is like a broken record. You come, you make advances on me, I reject you and we argue, only in the end, when I think it's over, to have you come back with your offer for one last date to see if things could go."

"It's showing persistence. Unlike some other people."

"Nobody's been around me long enough to break up with me, Abarai?"

"My point exactly."

"What?!"

"I'm saying that you are delusional." Explained the red-head "You're so paranoid about what people say that you've decided that by being a lesbian you'd be free of being the object of gossip."

"I don't care about what people say, but I'll get paranoid about my underwear if you don't stop peeking under my skirt!"

"Listen, you, I'll make it simple for you-give me a chance to prove to you that men aren't that bad. One date with me, and then if by one week you're not back to me, begging me for more, I'll leave you alone."

Chizuru crossed her arms and tapped her foot, while eyeing the man in front of her. Since they finished high school, he hadn't changed one bit. It was like he lived out of time. As for her, the boobs had finally shown up in the second year at college, and she was changing hairstyles every six months. The only thing constant about her was Renji, who, for the last seven years had dragged after her, stuck like old gum on the sole of her shoe, in his vain hopes to seduce her. Quite frankly, she was getting sick of it, but the only thing that stopped her from giving him what he wanted and finally freeing herself was the fact that he was a MAN, and she hated MEN. Stupid, crude pigs! However, for such a long time, her stubbornness was worn around the edges.

"Fine!" she snapped "One date, but I'm warning you, I'm not going to like it."

"We'll see." His grin flashed in the night "Why don't you close this library up, and I'll be waiting for you out front."

* * *

Yuzu and stood up on the bed. There was on point in crying, she told herself. It's not like the end of the world has come. Her body was heavy and strangely weak, so she went to the bathroom with the intention of taking a shower and washing the bad thoughts away. While she folded her clothes in the laundry basket, Yuzu caught sight of her face in the small mirror that hung over the sink. Her features were pale, weak, dry…a secretary's mask without the make-up. Glassy, expressionless, doll-like, her eyes stared at her indifferently, a bit like HIS when he first came.

When she first caught sight of him, she never supposed the storm he could cause in her soul. When they had first seen each other, she had felt little and insignificant and…she actually couldn't believe a grand man like him could even acknowledge her existence. And now, he had not only acknowledged it, he had kissed her!

A kiss…Yuzu never imagined it could be like that. Even in her wildest fantasies, he was still his composed, calm self, always knowing what to do, always safe and reliable, always perfect and…sterilized. Yes, sterilized was a good word to describe the image she had created of him. Even though he was the man she loved, she never really saw him as a human being, she never gave him flaws like impatience, reluctance, deceit, even passion-he was almost like a robot.

But wasn't this his fault?

He rarely laughed, even with her. Supportive and caring, he had been a perfect gentleman, but never as appealing, as…sexual, as he had been when he had kissed her.

That kiss had triggered so much! Suddenly, she had woken up with a start to the world once again, realizing that reality had nothing to do with the ditzy image she had of it.

It was so much more. The feeling of his lips on hers was intoxicating, magical, almost burning. She felt that if she didn't give into him right away, she'd die. And then, his story had painted a picture so cruel and powerful, so burning and thrilling, that the light in which she saw Kuchiki Byakuya radically changed.

He wasn't now merely Kuchiki Byakuya, the one she loved, but a man with a life, with his past sins and tragedies, a person, repressed by honor and duty, and his obligations to his family-not just a bunch of corrupt old folks, but real, dangerous people. Suddenly, the man of her dreams was terrifyingly real in ways she never imagined existed. Suddenly, he was more than just a dream, a fantasy, born by her wild imagination, but a flesh and blood man, and he had the flaws and desires of such.

As Yuzu stepped in the shower, still pensive, she realized that this was something she had been dreading all the time, because as a real man he would see her as a real woman, who also had her flaws and desires, and that was scary as hell. Not the thought of her own imperfections, but the fact that he would realize them and think her not worthy of him.

Right now, she didn't know what to think. But the safe, secretary mask she had built to protect herself and her fantasies slowly cracked. Kurosaki Yuzu hugged her body and fell on her knees, and under the cold water drops she quietly wept.

* * *

A/N-I hope your Chizuru/Renji cravings are satisfied for now. Would anyone like to write a fic about them, by the way? Any more couples from Re-education you'd like to encounter here? I'm open to suggestions.


	3. Chapter 3

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* * *

**

Slam!

The 11th division of the Gotei 13 had always been noisy. The neighboring 10th and 12th (and 9th and 13th) had already gotten so used to the cacophony of broken bones, screams of pain and the occasional outbursts of Zaraki taicho's reiatsu, that an evening of peace and quiet for them was to spend the night in the middle of a bar-fight.

That's why the silence coming from the said compound was not only disturbing, but downright scary, and it put Kuchiki taicho on red alert. Having that place quiet was never a good sign. His hand was already on Senbonzakura's hilt as he pushed the front porch open. Expecting some terrifying scene inside, Byakuya almost cut to pieces the terrified men who hurried to silence the familiar creak of the wooden door.

"What is…" the nobleman began, but somebody slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" exclaimed the one nicknamed Maki-maki. "Rei-sama is taking her afternoon nap."

Of course, being gagged and all, Byakuya couldn't make a comment on that, but the frosty glare he gave the man made him remove his appendage and take a few steps away to get into a safe distance. Well, safe distance with Senbonzakura was never a notion, but still…

Looking around the compound, the 6th division captain was slightly surprised to see the members of the division cowering under tables and hiding in their rooms, using shunpo to move around as quietly as possible, and entertaining themselves with quiet games like checkers and chess (without beating each other to bloody pulps). It was no surprise-Rei, the only female in the division besides Kusajishi Yachiru, 4th seat and 6 months pregnant, was apparently so terrifying that somebody would risk touching the all feared Kuchiki Byakuya, for the sake of keeping the noise down. Ikkaku must be in hell, the nobleman thought with little enjoyment, remembering the reason why he had come.

"I wish to speak to your fukutaicho. Where is she?"

Maki-maki's face made him blink a couple of times-he had asked for the whereabouts of their lieutenant, for God's sakes, not to get directed to a lion's den.

"She…she's with Rei-sama…napping…" the poor man mumbled, feeling more miserable than ever. Damn, there HAD to be a law against the marriage of people in the same divisions. And love potions, he thought darkly. 3rd seat Madarame Ikkaku hadn't even contemplated marriage before, and now he was crushed under his wife's heal. Compliments to that sleazy bastard Mayuri. If he wasn't dating captain Soi Fong, they'd have already crossed him over…twice.

He was ready to take on himself the wrath of the infamous Kuchiki nobleman, when he realized that the said captain was going inside the women's dorms, as if it wasn't the very pit of hell for all the members of the 11th division. Seven years ago, they hadn't even needed one, Maki thought absent mindedly as he sprinted after him. The only woman in the division had been Yachiru, and for obvious reasons nobody had seen her as a female. But, as Rei had stated when she first got her morning sickness "I need somewhere to go where that jackass won't jump me like a horny pig.". Also, Unohana taicho had kindly "suggested" to her beau that Yachiro was entering a very delicate and confusing stage of her life, which would require her more personal space than before.

"Personal space my ass." Maki begged all the Gods for their protection when he set foot in the dormitory "That kid walked in the guy's bathroom and did comparisons without even blinking twice. She doesn't know that a word like that exists!"

Nevertheless, Yachiru's first period was an event to be dreaded-if anyone besides Zaraki and Rei survived, it would be a pure miracle.

Byakuya stood in front of the small door, labeled "Men out!", allowing the occupants of the room to register his reiatsu, before knocking courtly and entering when Rei yelled "WHAT?!"

A box of chocolates materialized itself in his hands right on cue. There was a rumor that the 6th division captain could use shunpo on different body parts separately, but Maki had never really witnessed anything like it before. Whatever the reason was, the offering soothed the angry woman's wrath and Byakuya was allowed to steal her lieutenant for a few minutes. While the Kuchiki nobleman was leaving the war zone with Yachiru under his arm, Maki made a mental note to tell Ikkaku what chocolate Rei liked.

* * *

"I have a problem." Setting the pink-haired demon down on his desk, Byakuya checked his pockets for any possible bribe. Holding out a hand, Yachiru stopped him, and making herself comfortable, asked in a professional voice:

"What happened? With whom? And when? And no sweets, Retsu-chan's threatening me with dental treatment."

"Really?" his amusement was rather short-lived when she threw him a 'don't-push-your-luck-buddy' glance "I was having a conversation with a person of a special value to me."

"You confessed to Yuzu-chan?" Byakuya sighed-although he had tried to maintain the uttermost discreetness about his….situation, Yachiro had to be enlightened, otherwise she's be very suspicious of the letters she delivered through the Senkai gates. "Well? Did you?"

"I believe you can put it this way…" he nodded carefully

"So…why aren't you with her, making out and doing other gross things love birds do?" the brat asked, crossing her arms "I was having a good dream there!"

"Of bashing heads, I presume." He said, but hurried to explain "I did 'confess' to Yuzu-san, but I'm having the impression that I got something wrong."

"Talk." The girl blinked "And don't leave out details, unless you don't want my help."

Reluctantly, Byakuya sat down and explained to her his meeting with Yuzu, repeating patiently the parts she wanted him to repeat, then clarifying and elaborating whenever she seemed to have difficulties with comprehension, and them listened to her giggle idly, feeling lower than dirt. Why, of all people, did he have to talk to HER about it?

Because there is no one else, his inner voice retorted, and because you wouldn't have the guts to go to anyone else and tell them your whole story and live long enough to hear their response. People believed him to be a cold, calm man, the kind of person that liked to keep his feelings at bay no matter what. If he went to anyone, ANYONE AT ALL for advice….other than Yachiru, they'd first have to find their brains before they managed a complete sentence, and that was too annoying to be born. Well, maybe Nemu would listen, but between her duties in the 12th and Ukitake Jushiro, she had "surprisingly" little time to talk.

"Well?" he finally asked

"It's fu-nny, Bya-kun? You're not usually the type to get all worked out on that?" Yachiru chuckled

"I am not to be trifled with. I've had enough of it for 24 hours."

"Ok, whatever." Yachiru hung her legs down the table "So basically, you kissed her, then told her everything, and when you saw she wasn't processing it decided to leave?" a nod "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"I beg your pardon?" the man asked, baffled

"You know what I mean? Do we have to do another course, just for you, Mr. 0 points? You never leave a girl with only half the info-you either tell her all of it, or you don't tell her at all."

"I told her everything she needed to know about Aizen and the Winter war, as well as about the Hollows and our…duties. I didn't think she may need to hear details about the battles."

"That's not the point, Bya-kun." Yachiru kicked his shin "Screw the war, you kissed her and didn't tell her your feelings! That must be the biggest no-no in dating history. Ever!"

"Perhaps I didn't picture her expression for you well enough." His voice was filled with a rather badly contained impatience "She didn't seem like listening to me any more."

"That's why you say the nasty stuff first and then do the confessing and the kissing. Jeez, I'm having Matsumoto teach you a whole lesson on how to confess to a girl! Right now, Yuzu-chan must be feeling lower than dirt, thinking that she's the one with the problem, and crying her eyes out." Upon seeing his horrified expression, Yachiro flapped her arms out "Don't stare at me, dumbass, go to her and make things right!"

Slam! Before she even had the chance to finish the sentence, the 6th division taicho had shunpoed out of the office with his infamous speed. Waiting a little to make sure he was gone, Yachiru opened one of the drawers of his desk and started looking for any candy he may have in store there.

* * *

At the same time, in a small pavilion in the Kuchiki mansion, a tea ceremony was being held.

Since most of the elders were sent to different mansions all over Seiretei, with no easy connection, the only ones of their entourage left in the main house were small families, grandsons and such, and a small group of wives and concubines were having this gathering. Rukia was not there, which was a relief both to them and to her, for they didn't like each other this much…and with a good reason.

For eons, the Kuchiki clan had been one of the most powerful and respected in Soul Society. The pride they held for their family history was only equal to their mad desire to keep their blood pure and perfect. Before Byakuya had chosen to marry Hisana, there had never been a case where a woman of suspicious past had carried a Kuchiki child. Even the concubines, women as disposable as handkerchiefs, had to be bred and from a well-known family, the least, so that you couldn't tell them apart from any princess. So the fact that those women did not approve of Rukia was more than apparent…..And she didn't approve of them because…well, frankly because they were a bunch of hens that only cared for clothing and jewelry, but she was too polite to say it in their faces.

Truth to be told, she sometimes (but only sometimes) envied them-they were born with grace and good taste and perfect manners, all silk kimonos and whispering fans, respectfully bowed eyes and mysterious smiles. They were a symbol of all she couldn't be, noble and delicate femininity, the kind of people her brother wouldn't be embarrassed to introduce as his sister. On the other hand, most of them were so stupid they couldn't tell a horse from a donkey, so the loss wasn't so grand.

The women in that room differed from one another like the palette of colors on their kimonos, but had one thing in common-they all wanted to bear Byakuya's child.

For the Kuchiki clan wasn't any different from any other-they wanted their bloodline and heritage to go on, and for that, an heir had to be born. All those sprouts of the family didn't take so many concubines for their own sake-they couldn't handle their own wives, let alone two or three more women, but the elders had decided that putting so many beautiful and young women around their leader would eventually lead to the birth of that all so wanted heir. The leader of the clan was the current topic.

"For more than seven years, he hasn't thrown me as much as a glance." Natsuki Himemiya, the current princess of the little "harem" complained "I can't come up with a reason why not. I do everything, absolutely everything to get him to notice me, and he avoids me as if I'm a commoner."

"Byakuya-sama seems interested in commoners." The only old woman in the room stated. The young concubines threw her venomous looks-Miyako had been in the house long enough to see three heads of the family come, rule, and go, which made her terribly high-headed sometimes. Oh, they'd like nothing better than to shun the old crow, but since she had been Byakuya's nanny (and Byakuya's grandfather's nanny), it was too risky to do that. Some men had a thing about protecting their nannies. God knows why, but they do.

"True." Forcing some politeness in her voice, Natsuki nodded "Then he avoids me like a plague. And I cannot understand why." She flipped her fan open and sighed "I'm sure that if Byakuya-sama stops running around errands for that dreadful military organization, he'd notice me, but he just won't stay at home long enough."

"Surely, Himemiya-san, he'll come to. The winter war has been long." One woman said "He cannot stay away from you for too long. You did what none of us could do."

"I'm not getting any younger." Biting her lip, Natsuki glared somewhere out in the garden "It was hard enough to win his attention before that!"

"We all know. This is Byakuya-sama after all." And because it was Byakuya-sama, none of them was surprised of rejection. However, Natsuki had a lot of complaints she'd never voice-like the fact that when he did succumb to her, he was always composed, so calm, as if she were nothing more than an object…and how he always made SURE she didn't get pregnant.

Watching Himemiya's thoughts run through her eyes, the old nanny Miyako couldn't help thinking 'Serves her right.' Even though Byakuya was a man, and as such had his needs, he was well taught to resist such…people. There could be no respect, let alone devotion to someone who used their body in such a way. Even though those concubines worked under the orders of the Kuchiki clan elders (old bastards that they were), Miyako always kept a note on the fact that they could've always said 'no'. And she was glad that Byakuya remembered that as well, for ever since Rukia-sama's almost death, he had totally shunned the advances of those women, especially Natsuko.

And that girl was too obnoxious, Miyako thought. A concubine's job was to represent the ideal woman to the master of the house, no matter if she served him only to satisfy his needs. When a mistress lacked, she was the one to run the household and represent the family in front of guests, and serve as role model for the children, hers or not. Not that she was the one to question the elders' decisions (though they were a bunch of old sleazy no-good perverts), but they could've made a better choice.

"Do you think that maybe Byakuya-sama has an…affair?" one of the concubines, a relatively young one, asked behind a batting fan in a squeaky voice. Miyako watched with delight as Natsuko's eyes widened in shock.

"No!" she sighed "I cannot believe it. With whom? He hardly leaves his office, and when he's not in the Gotei 13, he's off to patrol in the living world. No, I cannot believe he would actually go on and…succumb to the advances of some lowly barracks whore when he can have better." She exclaimed. Miyako almost snorted-any woman who could wield a sword was ten times better for him, in her opinion. At least she wouldn't lose her head making funny ideas.

However, Miyako seemed filled with fear and resolve. Standing up, gracefully, but briskly, she tucked her fan in her obi and declared:

"I am going out. Thank you for your tea."

She moved through the house and ordered a palanquin with all the decorum and composure she could muster. She would take a few guardsmen with her, she decided. He was on a mission now, so she would easily find him in Karakura. If he had an affair, she would know. Rejection was something easy to handle, Natsuki thought as she prepared for the journey, but the thought that she was overlooked because of some dirty military servant…no, that would never be.

She exited the grounds with all the ceremoniousness and decorum of a queen….but the doors to the Kuchiki mansion slammed shut behind her as if seeing goodbye a scorned mistress.

* * *

**A/N**-Can't have a story without a villain now, can't we. _I'm having some hesitations about making a series of one-shots about some couples in Re-education. There's a poll on my profile, if you want, you can vote for your favorite three there and I'll see if I can write something about them. I'm almost certain about a Renji/Chizuru fic._


	4. Chapter 4

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Another hot day in the summer

Running around the flower beds, Yuzu couldn't help feeling a bit better. The greenhouse where she worked when she wasn't on lectures or taking a shift in the phone company was a nice complex in the outskirts of Karakura. People came around to buy flowers for weddings, christenings and funerals, as well as parties and other events that needed a big batch of carnations and roses. It was also the place where the students who specialized in botany went to work and observe the material they'd been studying in the lecture rooms, and where Yuzu went three days of the week to forget everything.

She knew she was more than a little pale, but spending the night crying had contributed to that, hadn't it? Thankfully, everyone was too busy carrying stuff, watering and weeding to pay attention to her composure, so she was free look how she felt, and it was a small relief.

A very small one, to be sure. Even though Yuzu had spent the night tossing and turning and weeping sad fountains, she hadn't put her feelings in order, let alone make peace with herself and accept the fact that things had been kept from her for her own safety. Well, she couldn't accept it. Why should she? Why should she not?

Because she wasn't a little girl anymore. Ever since HE had saved her, she had worked hard to separate herself from the image of a little girl, a useless deadweight. She wanted to do something useful, to be appreciated, not only by her family, but by the one she loved. And HE had been there for her, supporting her quest for independence, supporting her…For the first time, Yuzu realized how much Byakuya had affected her life. And it wasn't like she didn't like the new feeling of completion, but…suddenly, it all felt in vain. As if all this time, he hadn't just lied to her, he had considered her a little girl…and maybe still did.

* * *

Shaking the thoughts off, she grabbed a pair of scissors and started trimming a rose bush. It had lost its blooms when summer started and now was nothing more than thin twigs, green leaves and sharp thorns, but she had to take care of it, so that it would bloom again next spring. Stopping enough to contemplate the places where the gentle red buds had been, Yuzu couldn't help smiling-it was a little like Byakuya-kun, beautiful, reserved, but simply irresistible when its time came. You also had to be careful with it, because those thorns were sharp enough to draw blood.

Yuzu got up with a sigh and headed to the corner where they kept the fertilizer, still thinking about whom she might talk to about this thing. Her father wasn't exactly the one to be asked about advice, not without her telling him the whole story, and it wasn't very likely that he would believe her in the first place to be serious about it. Ichi-nii was still somewhere in Africa with Rukia-chan…unless, of course, they weren't fighting some Hollow not ten blocks from her. She sighed-she really didn't feel like going to him yet. Karin-chan was a possibility, but Yuzu couldn't reach her in Spain, with practice and Chad, and if Byakuya had indeed just told her about the whole shinigami business, she wouldn't know what to say.

So there, she found herself with no-one to speak to and no-one to ask for advice. Great! Not only had Byakuya turned her life around, he had left her without a soul to confine to whenever necessary. Her friends wouldn't even begin to understand, and…

Looking up to the shelf where the bags of fertilizer were, Yuzu cursed the fact that she was so short and put her foot on one of the lower racks and grabbed onto the rim of the stand so that she could push herself up. Her hands burned with the effort, but she found some equilibrium, before trying to find her way to the edge of the bag.

Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly an athlete, and she couldn't grip onto the stand for a long time. Her fingers slipped and she fell backwards, pulling the rack down with her. Yuzu closed her eyes, fully expecting to be crushed on the ground, when she felt a strong arm wrap around her and a familiar voice mumble "Bakudo number 12: Fushibi".

The shaking stand settled in mid air, then went back t its previous position, without anything falling or breaking on the ground. Nobody seemed to have noticed the incident, but Yuzu had seen the sparkling net covering it. Trying to turn around to face him (because his vice-like grip on her leaves her little place to wriggle between the stone muscles of his body), she forced her voice to sound normal as she said:

"This is one of the spells you guys use, right?"

"That is true…" Byakuya carefully set her down and let go of her "Did you see it?"

"I see lots of stuff…" but since his body was pretty much real, she guessed that other people might see him, so she pulled on a business face (very easily with her part time secretarial job), and titled her head ever so slightly "Is there something I can help you with?"

For a second, he didn't answer. He just stared at her pretty, soft features, and wondered for the nth time how could he have been so stupid as to leave her last night. The hard work had painted her pale cheeks red, her eyes gleamed and her hair was sticking out of every possible direction. The worn out jeans and the dirty white T-shirt she wore were only making her delicate figure stand out, and overall, she was absolutely breathtaking.

"I…wish to talk…" he tried to give some emotion, some warmth to his voice, but apparently a few centuries of trying to maintain an icy compose had rendered him unable to express himself more…humanly.

"Now?" putting a tired note to her voice, Yuzu hoped he'd get the hint and leave her alone. "I have a lot of work to do."

Well, Byakuya obviously thought that it didn't matter as he followed her back to the flower beds and loomed over her like a very beautiful column as she started cutting the dead leafs once again. To give him credit when it's due, Yuzu thought rather bitterly, the shade was welcome-the day was so hot it felt as if time was running backwards. However, they were in the greenhouse, and there were lots of people, and those people would (eventually) stare at them, wondering what was going on, because a/ that's what people do, and b/ Byakuya was incredibly handsome. Wiping a strand of hair from her forehead, Yuzu couldn't help looking up at him…

Well, since he was looking back, she had to avert her eyes, lest he should speak up, but the truth was that he ATTRACTED the attention. It wasn't the way his features were womanly delicate, but held the strength of a man, or the fact that his simple clothes did nothing to hide his in-born grace, but it was more the fact that his mere presence DEMANDED attention and respect. Was that nobility? Standing out amongst plebes like her, even though you're trying to pass as one?

Ok, maybe not exactly trying to pass as one-his suit looked suspiciously like Armani. Gods, if anyone saw him, they'd think that he's with Yakuza. If this was a Gigai, as he had said, it was a god damn good one.

"If your goal is to ignore me, it will not work. I'm used to waiting for a long time."

"Is that supposed to be funny?" she rolled her eyes "Look, I really don't see what else do you have to tell me, since last night the information was more than enough, but if you do, can you please save it for later. I have…a lot on my mind right now as it is."

"You're still angry at me." He stated

Yuzu managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes (too much of a childish gesture for her), and got up from her crouching position.

"That's not the point." She said suddenly, while walking down the narrow road to the next green house (with Byakuya in toe)

"In what exactly?"

"In…talking…about that…thing…" she sighed "What's done is done, is all I mean…I learned so much in one night and…I don't really think I can take up more." Turning briskly to him, she stared straight in his eyes "Haven't you ever learned something and you wished you never did?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Well…" she went on "In such cases…don't you just…want to tune out for the entire world?" another nod "In that case…why don't you leave me alone?"

"I cannot do that." He shot out "My…leaving last night was a mistake enough."

"A mistake? No, no, actually, it was quite well, I really think I might have lashed out at you if you…continued to talk…last night." She said, trying to sound as calm as possibly. Actually, she would've hit him last, night, if he went on talking and…didn't kiss her again. "Everything that I learned...was a bit too much to take on for one night."

"I understand. However, I shouldn't have left you alone. It was…very immature." He stared at some point beyond her ear. "I should've been more considerate. You must've felt horrible."

"Horrible? Horrible!" they were standing to a makeshift fountain, topped with orchids and a Venus statue, something they made to attract fiancées, so Yuzu dropped her voice before she became hysterical "Actually, I don't know. I think that it was genial, and you know why-because for the first time in my life, somebody treated me like an adult. Because somebody decided to tell me the truth. So yeah-thank you very much for that. But I don't think I can take anymore for now."

"I don't think you fully understand. There are important things I haven't told you."

"Then why did you leave last night?" Bull's eye. Gods, he was dead, Byakuya thought as he watched her watch him expectantly. How on earth was he supposed to compose a coherent sentence when she stood there, right in front of him, at arm's reach, just waiting for him…darn, those eyes of hers were practically begging him to come close and kiss her.

Too bad he didn't.

"I was…confused by your reaction." He managed

"You panicked." Yuzu crossed her arms in front of her chest "And now you've come back to make sure I hadn't done something to myself. Jesus! I'm not a little girl anymore, Kuchiki-san!" the use of his name set both of them aback for a second.

"I cannot say I considered you a little girl for a day in my life."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. To claim that he didn't consider her a little girl when he treated her as one-HOW DARE HE?! Suddenly, Yuzu felt angry-really, REALLY angry. Lying was for children. She wasn't a child!

So she decided to push him away from her. _"Very mature, Yuzu."_ She told herself grimly, when instead of getting some distance between them, she bounced off his sculptured body and fell straight in the basin behind her. He had tried to stop her fall, but this time there was no time to act.

Yuzu sat in the shallow water, feeling her clothes cling to her most embarrassingly, and wished for a quick and painless death-as if everything wasn't awkward enough between them.

Byakuya immediately averted his eyes from her body, before he got enough material for images he'd definitely regret, and offered her his hand to stand up, trying to ignore the tangling feeling of their skin meeting. He took off his upper coat to cover her shoulders, and, thankfully, the arrival of some of her friends from college speared them the discomfort.

* * *

He stood aside while they gathered around her, asking her whether she was alright or not, about what happened, even scolding her for being so uneasy on her own legs. Yuzu just smiled and shook her head in response to their offers to take her to the hospital.

"Who's that, anyway?" asked somebody, probably a comrade from college. "He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

"No!" Hastily, Yuzu waved off the idea, and said quickly "He's a friend of my brother's, he came around to say hi!"

She went by his side, wrapping the light coat around her, and said: "I better go home now. My shift's over anyway. Goodbye…"

"I'll take you back to town." He offered, placing his hand quickly on her back and urged her forward-a perfectly familiar, friendly gesture…

But that was only how it appeared from the sidelines. Nobody could see the electric spark that ran through both their bodies, or the almost tangible feel in the air between them. Byakuya tried to look at where he was going, but it was useless-her image had already imprinted itself in his mind. Her hair framed her face and shoulders, her eyes were bigger and brighter than ever, her lips were slightly parted and cherry red from the sudden shock…

He shook his head and tried not to think about that. He still had the worst coming up ahead of him.

* * *

Yuzu wondered how long it would take him to realize that he simply couldn't take her to her place, mostly because he couldn't come to the bus with her. The sight of a black sports car parked in front of the conservatories was, therefore, a surprise, but maybe not as much as the fact that he sat himself in the driver's seat and opened the passenger's door for her.

"I never imagined they had cars in the afterlife…" she'd never actually given the afterlife a thought before him, but for the last 35 hours and half, it had been one of her central distractions.

"They don't. Urahara-san helped me acquire a driver's license and a vehicle." Byakuya explained, as a matter of fact "I came to a decision that moving around the human world would be easier that way, since a gigai is quite useless for someone used to move in great speed on will, and my cover as a businessman required, quite naturally, a car." He looked at her, as she fastened her seat belt "You seem displeased."

"No." she un-furrowed her eyebrows "Actually, I think that's the longest sentence I've heard from you, Kuchiki-san."

"Byakuya." He answered courtly as he started the engine. "We're not on such official terms, Yuzu-san."

"Oh, really?" she answered, trying to force all her indignation and sarcasm into those two words. "I don't think so."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely wrong, but with her not telling him, he had to take shots in the dark…and if he missed, that only got her angrier, and she closed even more to him and…yeah, it was a sinister little circle they were dancing in.

"There is something on your mind." He stated calmly "Will you tell me what it is, or should I continue guessing?"

"Huh?" she stared at him. Good thing he had to keep his eyes on the road, if he looked at her, he'd be lost. He knew it.

"You're upset about something, and you seem to blame it on me. Will you tell me what it is?"

"Nothing…" she mumbled, barely suppressing an urge to bury her nose in the collar of his coat and inhale his scent. Did a gigai carry the characteristics of its usual owner? His looks, his smell, his…wait, with that it actually turned out that the Byakuya she knew could easily be a totally different in appearance, in age, in…everything.

Well, they do say it's the soul that counts. Their current situation suddenly gave the expression a totally different meaning. "I was just…wondering why you didn't tell me earlier…all this. We're friends, right?" Friends. How horrid did this word sound when it was applied to him, even now! "I thought I deserved more confidence. Why did you tell me all about that…shinigami business right now?" for some reason, she knew that his answer wouldn't be to her liking.

Ok, now he was standing right over the edge, Byakuya thought. Only the many centuries of stoic training stopped him from panicking now. She had been right-last night, in her apartment, he had panicked. Seeing her frigid, immobile like that, it had been shocking, terrifying…so unlike her usual lively countenance. Still…he couldn't lie to her. It was just about worse than keeping things hidden from her.

"Did the Winter War continue for so long that you couldn't tell me until now?" the thought of him being in mortal danger while she was writing her idle letters to him was really freaking her out. However, his response quickly stopped that feeling.

"No. It was over before I met you." Was his answer "I had seen you, you and your sister, during some of my…visits to the living world, but it wasn't until that summer that I was officially introduced to you."

"Oh? So did anything else come up? Someone else…attacked Soul Society and you didn't want to put more people in danger?"

"No. I had no reason regarding your physical safety to keep the truth from you." Gods, she must be so mad at him now. Of course, Byakuya had learned all her letters by heart before burning them, as a mean to hide her from the Kuchiki clan and their assassins, and in each and every one of them, she had spoken about her wish to be on her own, to gain freedom. And the Kuchiki clan wasn't a good enough threat-she'd probably ask him about what could a bunch of old, dead geezers do to her. Especially with her appearance-they wouldn't consider her much of a danger, right?

"So it's because you thought I couldn't handle it?!" she fumed. Byakuya sighed-this was suicidal, but he had to tame her in a way.

"Do you think I wanted to hide it from you for so long?" he asked "Did you ever give a thought about how this looked from the outside? An older man courting a girl of fifteen? It's not just frightening, it's unnatural and illegal. If I made advances on you back then, your brother would dismember me, and that would be just the start of it all."

"Made…advances? What are you, in LOVE with me?" she asked, still a little baffled. Byakuya shook his head.

"I kissed you, didn't I?" he held out a hand to stop a comeback from her "I already told you, I cannot talk of my feelings before I've told you everything."

"Actually, you haven't. And how much more is there of this story? Don't tell me you told me only what you thought I SHOULD know?"

"No. That's the truth. I doubt that the inner workings of Aizen and his henchmen, as well as the battles we led are of any importance to you now, but I doubt you understand…"

"What I understand is that you're treating me like a child!" she repeated for the nth time "Just get it over with, Byakuya!"

She slapped a hand over her mouth, taken aback by the fierceness of her emotions. Byakuya, however, let out a small smile.

"It's not as easy as you make it sound. There are things that stopped me from telling you the whole truth, but I doubt you'll fully…They just won't have the same meaning to you as they do to me."

"Try me." She shot out. The car took a series of turns, which bought the nobleman some time to gather his thoughts.

"Whether you like it or not, your age was if significance. I am a spirit, centuries old, compared to me you are like a baby. Even if your family saw nothing wrong with out…attachment, people might say things…our relationship wouldn't have been accepted as well as it would be now. Then, there is the fact that I am dead-that too, could be a problem, until you saw the full picture. Aside from that, I couldn't know if you loved me back." The last sentence was barely audible, but Yuzu heard it…

The car pulled over in front of her apartment complex and Byakuya finally looked at her. His grey eyes were clouded by some sort of wild, dark emotion, but he restrained himself too well. He was looking at her, again, in that expectant way, waiting for her to decide whether the outcome of these revelations would be good or bad. Yuzu looked down at her hands, crossed in her lap, and let out a small sigh.

"So is this it…" she turned her eyes to him "You thought I was too immature to deal with it…to deal with my own feelings." She laughed a bit "Back to square one again. Let me tell you something…I loved you back then. Even before you saved me, there was something about you that made me feel…different. Pretty. As if I had been given wings. And all those years, my feelings never changed…it's surprising, really, since you managed to throw them in chaos over one night." She shook her head "Maybe you're right, I couldn't have handled it. Maybe I can't handle it even now. I just feel so…confused. It's as if the world is spinning too fast and I can't catch up with it…or with you."

"Perhaps, then, you'd need some time to reconsider…" he asked in a dead tone. Damn, he was pushing her away from him. Stop her, do something, his inner voice screamed, but Byakuya knew well enough that if he forced her into a hasty decision, they'd regret it for the rest of their natural and unnatural lives. "Perhaps I'm rushing things over."

Yuzu closed her eyes, trying to find some equilibrium. A part of her, a very big part of her, was rejoicing at the thought that finally her idol, Kuchiki Byakuya, was there, and had feelings for her, and actually everything was (almost) just as in her fantasies. That part wanted nothing better than to go to him, embrace him, and drink the euphoria that this relationship was going to produce.

But another part of her lingered in the shadows, and with affecting sobriety reminded her that this drunken period would only delay the important issues at hand, and that sooner or later, she'd go back to the questions, the doubts, the incertitude. And that pert reminded her that there would never be a 'Happily ever after' until those issues were cleared out for good.

And somehow, Yuzu didn't feel like resolving them now.

"Yes…perhaps I need some time to think." She nodded, looking at him "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He unlocked the doors of the car for her "I shouldn't have been so…egocentric to not take into account your feelings."

He ached to say something more. Something warmer, more comforting, kiss her and take those doubts away with the sweep of his arm. But he couldn't. He knew that if he did, he'd lose her forever.

Getting out of the car, Yuzu gave him one last sad smile before entering the building. Byakuya lingered there a little longer, staring at her windows, and after noticing her silhouette run through them, sighed one last time and started the engine. He'd wait. He had done so for a long time. And if she wanted him, she knew she could reach him.

Little did the two of them know that a certain somebody would cut their thinking time short.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Bya-kun's private life isn't so private

It was Saturday, the meeting was on its way to start, and a half of the members of the SWA were missing.

Nanao pushed her glasses up her nose, trying to shoo the irritation from her system. Early mornings had never been so bothersome, especially in the weekends when her duties in the SWA required her to turn up earlier than anyone and arrange things (and once again, she was working for two, because Yachiru never did her duties as president thoughtfully). Nemu and Isane were there, since they were punctuality itself, as well as Kiyone, who had nothing better to do. Rei-san and Yachiru came because "men don't come around here" and that was all. Soi Fong, Matsumoto, Momo, Rukia….well, Rukia was supposed to be on a mission in the human world, but that didn't make it any less vexing. Even Unohana taicho was late, and she never did such a thing.

Well, it didn't matter anyway, because three seconds after she had thought about that, the four women walked together in the room, chatting amiably and completely oblivious to the time. They looked like their usual selves, totally different from one another…well, aside from the fact that their clothes looked like they'd been put on in a hurry and their spirits were uplifted. Then again, only Nanao's stern self-control (and deadly fan) had gotten her out of Shunsui's arms in order for her to do all the work in the SWA.

"And then…" Rangiku saw Nanao's twitching eyebrow and grinned "Oh, looks like somebody's in a foul mood this morning. Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't cut you cuddling time short because of us?"

"That's not the point!"

"It is, actually." Unohana taicho stated calmly "You shouldn't neglect your personal life, Ise-san." She gave her a smile "It's hard enough as it is."

Actually, it hadn't been before Matsumoto…ok, they had come up with a course to set men right and then the whole plan backfired on them-men taught women not to be stupid. But now, since women were not so stupid, and relationships went on between captains, lieutenants, lieutenants and captains and other seated officers, Yamamoto Sou-taicho had decided that he had to make some rules, or at least make his sentiments known. While he himself knew that you couldn't live without any relationship whatsoever, he didn't want high ranking officers getting married. It was not only dangerous, it was also a very bad example for the new recruits.

So now, aside from being asked to be discreet, they also couldn't get married unless they partook a long and tiresome procedure, which included the transfer of one of them, the low ranking one, to another division. And since nobody could transfer Soi Fong and Mayuri taicho, or Unohana and Zaraki taicho, they decided to keep in nice and quiet until somebody decided that it's time to change things.

"So, the first matter of business is our activities for the next three months. Since the mentioning of bakery sales was forbidden because of the latest thing that came out of it…we have no ideas."

"We can organize a calendar shoot."

"That's not allowed either."

"Or make an expedition to film cute animals for a calendar." Isane proposed

"Who'd want that?" Nanao looked up at her fellow lieutenant in surprise. "Aside from Kurotsuchi taicho, to find new species to experiment on."

"Why would Mayuri-sama want new species when he has enough of them here?" Nemu looked quizzical.

"I don't know. A new toy? Just for the private rooms. Why not we ask the expert?" Matsumoto grinned coyly, looking at Soi Fong taicho.

Typical, the tiny woman thought as she ignored the blonde's provocation. Private life was private because nobody asked you to talk about it. Even Matsumoto, whose big mouth had become proverbial, didn't speak about the things she and Hitsugaya taicho did behind closed doors (well, mostly because the said taicho's wrath was also very proverbial, but still). But now, just because her beau was in some way different than the rest, the whole world decided that they had the right to pose such ridiculous questions, and suddenly private life wasn't so private. People just wanted to know how it worked, being in a relationship with a mad scientist. What did happen? Was he good? Or perhaps there was some juicy secret there, something they just HAD to know.

If she really wanted to set them right, she'd have told them the truth long ago. But since she didn't want to have people getting complexes because of her successful love life, Soi Fong stayed blissfully ignorant of the dumb questions.

"Forget this shit!" Yachiru surprised everyone by sitting down on the table, crossing her arms and legs in a very expressive manner "We have other things to worry about!"

"Such as?" Nanao looked up from the folder she was holding, while adjusting her glasses carefully "Did Zaraki taicho forbid you to eat sweets again?"

"That's not the worst of it." The pink-haired demon rolled her eyes "Bya-kun needs our help." After those fateful words, there was silence. Isane, Kiyone and Nemu looked cluelessly at the president of the SWA, Nanao, Soi Fong and Unohana taicho were blinking compassionately, imagining how exactly Byakuya had fallen out of the good grace of the little hellion, and Matsumoto was struggling to hold off her laughter as a dozen of images on how _exactly_ could they _help_ Kuchiki taicho passed through her head.

"How does Kuchiki-taicho need our help?" well, you can't call off the inevitable, so it's best to get it over with, Nanao thought

"He needs another course. A private one. With lots of explanations and no getting out of it." Yachiru kept talking with the speed of a high-power motor for another five minutes before she decided to take a breath.

"A….re-education course?" Matsumoto blinked. Honestly, after all that guy went through, you'd think he's learned it by now. "Why would he?" there was some talk that Byakuya had entered the 11th division barracks to retrieve Yachiru for a private conversation in his office a few days ago. Could it be….

"He's decided to confess to a girl he likes and he's totally screwed up!" the pink-haired fukutaicho said "I'm telling you, this guy needs some serious-ass teaching!"

"You may want to start from the beginning…slowly…" Nanao mumbled, while sitting down on her chair.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Yachiru was still spilling the beans on Byakuya's little crush on Kurosaki Ichigo's sister, including the snippets of letters she had managed to read through the cheap paper of the envelopes. It had been hard, since they tended to be very voluminous sometimes.

The other members of the SWA were sitting in their chairs, peaceful like first graders on their lesson on how to draw a bunny. Most of them were looking at Yachiru wide eyed, some were sighing dreamily and there was occasionally the surprised gasp of surprise. When Yachiru finished her narrative, some of them had their jaws hanging.

"Wow…" Kiyone mumbled.

"Yeah…" her sister added

"That's…rather unexpected…" Unohana said "Kuchiki-taicho and Kurosaki-kun's sister…"

"Amazing! I never thought Byakuya was into this!" Matsumoto chipped

"If Kuchiki-taicho's waited for her for seven years, you can't possibly say that he's a pervert." Nanao corrected her friend sternly

"Yeah, but she was still little when he fell for her, right?"

"But it's rather ironic." Soi Fong said pensively "Kurosaki and Kuchiki-taicho aren't the best of friends, but they're in love with each-other's sister."

"Yeah. Apparently, Icchi was surprised as well, but he and Byakushi made an agreement to wait for a while before they told Yu-chan about everything."

"Hold on a sec. Ichigo knows! And he hasn't chopped Byakuya's head off?" Matsumoto exclaimed

"People thought it would be the other way around when Kuchiki-taicho realized that Kurosaki-kun was after his sister." Isane stated sourly "Talk about turning the tables."

"Do you think she'll like the estate here?" Kiyone mused pensively "I've seen it when me and Sentaro went with Ukitake taicho on that engagement party for Rukia-san and Ichigo. It was huge! The sandal stand in the hallway cost more than my year's salary."

"Well, Yuzu-san is rather home-span." Matsumoto said "That doesn't mean that she won't be able to run the household. I think she'd look great in a kimono."

"Do you think she likes him?" Isane turned to Yachiru

"Well, since he struck an agreement with Icchi to keep things from her before she's ready, I guess that he wouldn't confess to her if she didn't return his feelings."

"She's made a good choice." Matsumoto nodded wisely "It's always an advantage to have a more experienced and mature man for a lover, especially if he's your first. He makes up for your lack of knowledge."

"You're the one to talk." Soi Fong mumbled "What about Hitsugaya taicho?"

"Well, I never said the experienced one just HAD to be the male, right?" Rangiku cracked a grin

"Do you think this is correct? Discussing Kuchiki-taicho's private life like this? Isn't this supposed to be a secret?" Nanao asked, eyeing Yachiru.

"If he's confessed, it's not a secret anymore." She waved the question off "Anyways, he's no good in confessing. He does the kissing first and then talks. That's not the way it should work."

"Certainly." Matsumoto nodded "Byakuya's in some deep shit here. Why hasn't he come to us immediately?"

"Because he's a guy." Nanao stated calmly

* * *

The said guy was sitting on a small clearing between the sixth and seventh division. It was quiet, and he could easily tune out the world, so that he could think.

He never expected this to happen. Sure, he knew she'd have a hard time believing him, but never thought that she would be angry at him. Or hesitant.

Byakuya closed his eyes, trying to tune out the feelings as well, but it just didn't work. He saw Senbonzakura materialize on the clearing next to him. Her eyes focused on his, and then her voice rang into his head.

_"This time, your pride did you the worst of favors."_

"Indeed." He nodded "And now I am being punished suitably."

_"It's not all over yet."_

"I cannot dream that she would be that willing to come back to me."

_"I never said that."_ His zanpakuto shook her head _"There are still, many things that have been left unsaid. You still didn't tell her the whole truth."_

"If she does not want to see me again in her life, I doubt the rest would be of any importance for her."

_"For sixty years, you have not changed one bit."_ Senbonzakura shook her head.

And she was right. He still nagged women too much. He thought that if he felt one way, they should as well. The memory of his little courtship of Hisana returned, as bright as if it had been yesterday.

Rukia's sister had been just another maid in the manor, a new 'recruit', who was still mastering the art of soundlessness. Byakuya had accidentally caught sight of her cleaning up some room and had immediately taken an interest in her. He had followed her around, much to her displeasure, and then suddenly he had discovered that he couldn't stop. He just couldn't get his eyes off her. Hisana had been beautiful, and back then he had been quite hot-headed. He had gotten the idea that love could beat anything.

The hardest thing (aside from making his parents let her marry him), had been convincing her that he was serious. Playful wasn't a word applied for Kuchiki Byakuya, and yet she had a hard time believing that he would be interested in her. When she had finally consented to marry him, he had been the happiest man in Seiretei. For the first week of their marriage, they didn't leave their bedroom at all.

And then she had died, leaving him locked up in a shell. A shell that had cracked only after he men Yuzu.

He had to admit, that Mayuri's love potion had made him really look at her. But she was a pretty girl, with an amazing character. He couldn't keep her letters, but before he burned them, he memorized them attentively, so that when he wanted, he could recall every word, every line of her handwriting, every nuance of her moods. She held many qualities, like persistence and grace, generosity and intelligence. She worked hard to complete her goals, and her kind heart got her into trouble, but that didn't matter as long as he was there to catch her before she fell. And she was beautiful-throughout the years, he had watched her bloom like a sakura tree, only he knew that this beauty would last a lot more. It all made her even more precious to him than every treasure in both Soul Society and Karakura.

_"She is confused."_ Senbonzakura said

"I know." Byakuya nodded "But I cannot do anything until she allows me to."

At that moment, he sensed the approach of a group of people, people who, judging by their reiatsus were the members of the SWA. And by the looks of it, they were out for his blood. Not quite knowing what he had done to bring upon himself so much female fury, Byakuya decided not to stick around to find out and flashed himself to a small street on the other end of the building.

He made a couple of turns and detours, all the time keeping an eye on the reiatsus of Nanao and Matsumoto, since they were easiest to distinguish. He was so busy listening around so that he wouldn't run upon them that he almost crashed into the white-clad figure that had come around the corner. Byakuya was almost ready to ignore Akon, since Mayuri's men didn't deserve as much as his acknowledgement, if he hadn't spoken up.

"Kuchiki-taicho. I have to talk to you."

* * *

Gently, Yuzu opened the big shoebox that she kept under her bed. It had been a while since she last opened it, so it was covered by a shear layer of dust, but the lid opened with no resistance. Her thin fingers traced the outlines of the letters, hidden within, before she took out one and unfolded it.

How many times had she been looking at those? Enough to know them by heart. She really admired him, his handwriting, his style, his class. Everything about him spoke of sophistication and intelligence. How many times had she been reading those, breaking every sentence down on its components, analyzing every curve of the symbols, trying to deduce his feelings at the time of the writing and coming up with countless crazy ideas?

It was definitely an obsession, Yuzu thought darkly as she returned the letter back in the box and closed the lid. A weird and feeble one. She wondered, if Byakuya decided to prolong these revelations by a few more years, what would've become of her? Perhaps it had been for the best, ending her idiotic delusions before they got the best of her.

She hugged her knees, trying to find some peace-she had told him that she needed to think, but there wasn't much to be thought about. He had lied to her, but he had kissed her. Two very different, and totally weird actions, but they spoke volumes to a person who had been dreaming about this for…a very long time. The more Yuzu thought about what Byakuya said, the weaker the pain of betrayal got. Suddenly, the fact that he had hidden things from her became irrelevant. If he held some affection for her (clearly displayed by the kiss), then what did it matter? She wanted to run to him and hold him, if just for a while, seeking some comfort and love. What else did it matter?

Smiling melancholically, Yuzu pondered on how to approach him now. He was a man of honor, so he wouldn't come around the neighborhood too soon. Perhaps write him a letter? Or ask Ichigo to tell him to meet her, since they were so dense. She remembered the day of her brother's wedding to Rukia-chan. She had been so beautiful, and Byakuya had actually patted her brother on the back. Yuzu still felt the same butterflies flutter in her stomach as she fantasized (briefly), about a scene where the roles would be reversed, and Ichigo would be giving Byakuya the same acknlowledgement on their wedding day. A pretty childish fantasy, she smiled inwardly, but a hear-warming one nevertheless.

She was about to go to the phone and call her brother (never mind the time in Africa), when a sound from the entrée caught her attention. Yuzu blanched, seeing the front door wide open, and when she made a move to close it, a surge of pain ran through her body, making her tumble down on the ground. There was another blow, and she could only spot a pair of legs in fancy shoes before blacking out.

* * *

A/N-For those of you with Chizuru/Renji cravings, there's a fice about them now.


	6. Chapter 6

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Narcissus

Kurotsuchi Mayuri wasn't happy. Not that he ever was, but hey, he had no reasons to be the opposite. He was running a division and a Research Institute all by himself (like he'd ever acknowledge that those incompetent bastards as subordinates), he had a daughter who was trying very hard to make him proud, and since a few years-a lover who was, as they say, exceeding all his expectations.

No, he was never happy. But today, he wasn't satisfied either.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to poke your nose into my business?" he tried to set a cold edge to his voice, but somehow, without his mask on, it was impossible. And the fact that Soi Fong was sitting on top of him in a mini-skirted uniform didn't help much either.

"I believe we made an agreement, Mayuri." Despite the intimate position and her even more intimate actions, her voice held the same cold tone she used in interrogations. She'd be nice with him when she got what she wanted, the 2nd division captain thought with glee as she watched her partner fight the need to squirm under her. "No secrets between the two of us. If you're going to betray Soul Society and run off somewhere, I'll be coming with you."

"We also agreed that what happens on work doesn't enter the bedroom." He had had enough of her stressed out moods, when she only wanted to beat up a very large punch-bag. "It doesn't concern the peace at Seiretei, isn't it enough for you?"

"I don't care shit about the peace of Seiretei, but if one of Kuchiki's mistresses visits you, it's my damn business and you know I won't let you go until I get a satisfactory answer."

And didn't he know that?

"Ugh, she wanted a gigai! And she told me to send Kuchiki-taicho the bill." The weight immediately lessened and he sat up.

"Did you?" Soi asked him

"Immediately. Do you think I'd put off a matter of money?" he looked offended. To his surprise, she grinned and said:

"Good. In that case, we can pick up from where we left off."

Satisfied? Nope, Kurotsuchi Mayuri could safely say he was a happy man right now.

* * *

Yuzu opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. The pain that erupted at the pack of her skull was nerve-shattering, and she couldn't move a muscle thanks to the weight on her back. She realized she was looking at the floorboards of her own living room, but the carpet was rolled away and the furniture had been pushed aside. What had happened? She remembered seeing her door open and…then there had been such great pain she lost consciousness.

A pair of expensive shoes made their way to her and one of them kicked her carefully, as if their owner wanted to make sure she was awake. Yuzu let out a miniature squeak, and her eyes caught sight of a woman looming over her. From what she could tell from the inconvenient position, she was inhumanly beautiful and self-aware, the disdainful scowl on her face telling it all.

"So you ARE awake…" she drawled "I'm glad. It would've been so much harder faking and illness if your eyes were closed."

Yuzu opened her mouth to speak, while trying to push herself off the floor again. Half a breath away, something resembling an explosion blew out all over her, setting her skin on fire and burning her vocal chords until all she could do is scream. When her body was pinned once again on the ground, the pain subdued, but only slightly.

* * *

While the younger girl lay, panting and shaking in pain, Natsuki scanned the apartment for a zanpakuto, a hell butterfly, or some other indication that she was a shinigami, or at least-related to one. Sure enough, she had been the one Byakuya-sama had been obsessed about, but she didn't look like someone he could interact with. Natsumi knew he preferred to skip on the patrolling in the real world, but he had began doing that a lot lately.

Then her eyes fell on a picture on the small table. There was that girl, standing alongside another girl, and a guy with a bright orange head. Even though the members of the noble households cared little about the workings of Seiretei, Natsumi was not ignorant enough to miss the fact that she was looking at a photograph of Kurosaki Ichigo, the ryoka who had caused so much trouble in Soul Society 10 years ago, the infamous Substitute Shinigami, who had won the war for Yamamoto Sou-taicho, saved the King of the Spirits, and was recently married to Byakuya-sama's sister Rukia.

Yes, Natsuki had heard a great deal about that man. He was the first living human to become a shinigami and vizard, the fastest to achieve bankai and (amongst other things) the only one able to stand up to most of the captains of the Gotei 13. Like many, the concubine had marveled at Byakuya-sama's decision to let him marry his sister, and even if she couldn't care less about what happened to that Rukongai trash, Natsumi had been suspicious of his reasons to allow it. Until now.

"So he decided to swap one sister for another." She spat out, looking down at the girl "Now I see. That ryoka offered him a succubus in a girl's body."

"What do you want?" Yuzu managed. She tried focusing her eyes, but the pain was throwing a blindfold over her sight. She did manage to notice the haze around the body in front of her. Was it a soul? "Are you a soul?" she breathed.

"Quiet, trash!" Natsuki said, very un-lady likely. "You will only speak when you are asked."

Yuzu didn't whimper again, and didn't move. She was smart enough to catch up on things, and right now she was seeing what that woman was with startling clarity.

"You should know, you'll accomplish nothing! Byakuya-sama's been doing this a long time, he would never fall in the nets of someone like you." The woman went on "If he really has been paying you any attentions, he's most likely to have done that with no further motive than to fulfill his needs." Like he did with me, Natsuki added bitterly in her mind. Yes, he had only touched her once of twice after his wife died, and he always made sure she didn't get pregnant. He avoided her and gave her things to keep her out of his bed chamber.

There had been a moment when Natsuki had wondered if she really hadn't been good enough, but since Byakuya hadn't shown any interest in ANY of the concubines presented to him, she assumed he was probably homosexual.

Well, now it was obvious he wasn't, and she felt she had been played by like a fool. Clenching her fists, she somehow managed to hold her emotions from showing on her face, and she directed her rage towards the girl on the floor. The ready-made spiritual nets did wonders-she was totally incapacitated.

"My tutors always told me it's ok to lose to anyone but some trash." She sneered, as she made her way to Yuzu. The young woman's body instinctively tensed up, sensing the danger, but couldn't do anything-every movement caused a sharp surge of pain from…whatever was on her back. Natsuki knelt on a pillow next to her, putting a velvety cloth by her side. While she unwrapped them, she was perfectly composed, but when Yuzu saw the continence of the cloth couldn't stop herself and shivered. Acupuncture needles.

Having grown up in a clinic, the youngest Kurosaki sibling was well aware of what they were supposed to do. Her father often used them to scare his patients into drinking their medicine or plant a surprise attack on Ichigo. But she had never learned how to use them, and now she was regretting it.

Of course, she regretted a lot of things. Not learning how to say no, per instance. Or hit guys where it hurt. Or be bolder and announce her love when it was time. But right now she was regretting not being more careful and checking on her locks more often than she did.

Natsuki rolled her sleeves up and placed one of her hands on Yuzu's inner thigh. The girl's pulse raced underneath her fingertips and she felt her shiver. Perfect. She was just how she wanted her to be. Terrified. Humble. Sorry.

But just to make sure, she took one needle and pierced her skin. The nerve it hit made the girl scream in agony and toss wildly, but Natsuki wasn't going to let her be.

"Stay still!" he hissed and placed a few more needles in the proper locations. Yuzu's mind was on fire. Her heat felt like it would fly out of her chest any time now. Slowly, the pain subdued and Natsuki only checked the positions and angles of the needles.

She tried breathing and realized her throat was try. Hadn't anyone heard her? She had screamed pretty loud back then. Why hadn't some neighbor come by to check on her?

"Don't hope for help to come by. Nobody can hear us." Her captor said icily "I made sure of that."

"I never knew he had a girlfriend." Yuzu said, so quietly it was almost inaudible, even though she already knew that this could not be the case. Byakuya had kept things from her, not lied. He wouldn't have approached her if he had a girlfriend, he wouldn't have looked at her twice. He wouldn't have told her he loved her all along. He would keep his word.

She wondered if she sounded too much like Puccini's Madame Butterfly-blindly believing, always betrayed. Then she shook her head-she talked to him. She had seen him. He had opened up to her. There was no room for doubt. And Natsuki's reaction only confirmed her beliefs.

"Quiet! Byakuya-sama has obviously struck some deal with that man, the substitute Shinigami, and you've made him forget all about the rest of us!" she pressed on the needle and watched with glee as Yuzu let out another scream "Don't worry, I'll make sure to put you out of your misery, after I give you your lesson."

"Lesson?" Yuzu's eyes widened as her knees were spread and she felt her skirt being hiked up.

"If you enjoy stealing Byakuya-sama from me, I'll give you one last indulgence before I finish you off. But first…" she grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled at it. The fabric cut into her throat, before it ripped apart and the cool air hit Yuzu's back "I'll clear my way."

She took a needle in one hand, while the other rested on her thigh, and Natsuki placed the edge on a spot between two vertebras, somewhere around her neck. The girl's eyes watered as she realized what was about to be done to her, but was it the thought of being raped the scariest, or the prospect of being killed, she couldn't tell.

"Please…" Yuzu whimpered "Please…"

"What?" Natsuki's cold eyes narrowed as she drove another needle deeper into her rival's skin "You dare make requests to me?"

"Please…one question…" she whimpered, after another scream set her aching throat on fire. The Kuchiki concubine frowned, but slowly nodded.

"Fine. Talk." At least she learned quickly, she thought with some satisfaction. She hated it when people talked back at her. When they didn't acknowledge her superiority. At least this one knew she was trash.

"Why…do you want to kill me?"

"Kill you?" she raised her eyebrows in surprise "Who said anything about killing you? The net makes sure you're in place, the acupuncture needles are going to make sure everything I do to you comes to your brain ten times stronger. As for this little thing I'll drive into your spine…it won't kill you, but it will make sure you're not going to move a single muscle for the rest of your life. But…" she sneered "You really wonder what makes me come all the way here, from Soul Society, away from my comfortable home and maids, to torture you? Because…in all my years as a concubine, Byakuya-sama never, not once, looked at me the way he looked at you. And I feel sick of it! If anyone deserves his love, it is I! And I've never, not once, faltered in seeking this love! I won't do it now!"

Her nails dug painfully in the skin of the thigh and thanks to the needles Yuzu felt every part of it. But she didn't cry. She couldn't.

Suddenly, when Natsuki's fingers itched higher, something snapped. Yuzu might not be a powerful shinigami, a glamorous soccer player, or brave enough to accept Byakuya's love, but she wasn't going to allow some…_woman_ to barge in her home and abuse her. The younger Kurosaki twin shut her eyes tight, and, ignoring the pain that bombarded her tired limbs from everywhere, she twisted her body and kicked Natsuki off balance.

The mistress did tumble backwards, taking with her the freaking needle, but Yuzu's legs were too weak to carry her and she fell down. However, before Natsuki could hit her again, there was a crash, and Kuchiki Byakuya entered the room in a way so graceless that only utter hurry could justify it. Before either of them knew it, he seized the scorned concubine by the wrist, pulled her up and slipped a gikon pill in her mouth.

Yuzu barely felt the small draft that the stirring of two other figures caused, but she saw the ghastly figures of two other souls walk into her living room right through the wall. One of them, a woman with long, dark, braided hair, turned and gave her a polite smile, while the other, a huge and scarred man only let out a grunt before grabbing Natsuki's spiritual form from Byakuya's own vice grip. She had seen them before, and Ichi-nii's wedding. They had been introduced as…colleagues of Rukia-chan. Of course, she should've known there were more than a couple of shinigami in the neighborhood.

It was only when Byakuya knelt down to her and started to take off the kido net from her shoulders did Yuzu realize how actually…exposed she was. Her shirt was damaged beyond repair, which made her wish she had decided to wear a bra today (but since there really wasn't that much for a bra to hold, she had figured that at least at home, she wouldn't need it). Flushing a bright shade of red Yuzu wished she could sink into the ground when he removed the net and proceeded to take the needles out of her very exposed legs.

Thankfully, Kuchiki Byakuya was a gentleman, and like many gentlemen, even under the spell of a love potion, wouldn't dare think indecent thoughts about a girl who had almost been killed. "Are you unharmed?" he asked, when the final needle was out and her pulled her skirt down over her thighs in an attempt to give her some sense of security.

Everything had happened so quickly, it was only then that Yuzu's mind progressed what had just happened. Shaking her head, she pushed herself into a sitting position, arms wrapped securely over her chest.

"Is there something I could do for you?" his voice was almost pleading this time. Turning to him with the full intention to lie, Yuzu was shocked to see him so…un-character like. His hair was disheveled, his clothes-a mess, the firm line of his jaw wasn't so tight as it usually was and his eyes…his eyes were desperate. Throwing herself forward into his embrace, Yuzu could do nothing but weep silently into his chest…and she shook with relief when she felt his arms closed around her, and the feeling of their steel cage around her was enough for her to know that any dangers were shunned out of her life.

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A/N-I'm doing a school project. Can you help? Poll's on my profile page, please take a look at it.

I hope you guys liked this. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

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Restless hearts

Unohana and Zaraki returned in gigai, disguised as a doctor and a cop respectively. After Byakuya had talked to them in private for a while, the men took away Natsuki's faux body. It was peaceful now, safe for the giggles and spontaneous laughter it usually let out. She looked positively mad.

Yuzu hadn't moved from the sofa where Byakuya had placed her. There were no signs of injury on her body, and she looked fairly well…But her posture was rigid, her hands were crossed protectively over her chest, and her gaze was detached, disinterested. She looked like a victim of a major memory reconstruction.

"Yuzu-san…" a soft voice brought her out of her thoughts and she came face to face with a tall, beautiful woman. Her black hair was braided in front of her chest, and her delicate blue eyes held a gentle smile. She liked her immediately. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes…" she mumbled

"That's good." The woman smiled "I've seen you at your brother's wedding, but I believe that we haven't been introduced officially. I am Unohana Retsu."

"Pleased to meet you, Retsu-san." Yuzu bowed her head a winced when the pain struck her neck.

"Allow me…" slender fingers traced a pattern over her throat, pressing here and there. "The bounding spell hasn't caused much damage, which is good. However, I must ask your permission to check for any other injuries."

"Of course." Obediently, she got off the couch and followed Unohana to the bedroom. There, the 4th division captain left her to undress and lie down on the bed, and proceeded with her examination. She didn't do much-just took the girl's pulse, checked her temperature and looked at her arms and legs for cuts, bruises or fractures. Yuzu flinched and stiffened when she felt the slight pressure the medic was applying, but told herself that this wasn't bad, that she wasn't going to do anything to her. She knew well enough that women aren't wicked like that lunatic just now, and yet she felt relieved when Retsu told her that she was done and that she could dress herself again.

"Physically, you are more than well." Unohana said "But I'm worried about your mental state…You went through a great deal of shock these last few days."

"Thank you for your concern…" Yuzu smiled sadly "But I'll be fine. I've been through worse."

"You have." The woman agreed "But perhaps you will get fine faster if you talk to somebody about it."

"Why are you telling me this? Are you a psychiatrist or a physician?" Usually, she wouldn't have been so rash, but Yuzu was too tired and too miserable to force herself to be polite. It was just…too much. Last time she checked, being in love wasn't a crime. When you found your soul mate, the worst thing that could happen was that your parents didn't like him and disowned you for marrying him. People didn't try to kill you for having the affections of someone. They didn't send you death threats. And you certainly aren't supposed to be visited by their concubines.

_Concubine_…the word made her gut twist. However romanticized was her version of Byakuya, Yuzu couldn't comprehend how such a woman could even lay claims on a man like him. He had always struck her as being too noble, too…honest to stoop down to such things, and yet he obviously had. But on the other hand, he is a man, and men need to blow off the steam sometimes…however noble and honest they are, she reminded herself. It wasn't supposed to shock her as much…and yet it did.

"Both, I suppose." Yuzu jumped-she had been so occupied in her thoughts that Unohana's answer startled her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…I was just…deep in thought." She shook her head "What did you mean by both?"

"I am the captain of the 4th division of the Gotei Thirteen." Retsu elaborated "It is a strictly medical unit-we don't fight unless it's strictly necessary. We heal people's wounds, and that sometimes extends further than their physical injuries. I've had to work with many people who have been hurt mentally, and I know a deal about those kinds of things. Perhaps you think that this is normal? That many people go through the same things and end up just fine after some sleep and a cup of hot tea? Maybe it happens fairly often, but it isn't nearly as easy for you to recover as you think."

"Maybe." She agreed "But what can be done?"

"You can talk about it." The healer pointed out

"You want me to talk about it?" Yuzu was slowly getting angry "What do you want me to say? What CAN I say? How about I tell you how I felt about being immobilized in my own home? Or being threatened by a person I don't know? Or what I thought about the perspective of being raped and then paralyzed for the rest of my life?! Well…" her voice faltered and she dropped on the bed "…It wasn't very pleasant."

Unohana sat down next to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can tell me."

Yuzu looked at her for a second, then she cried. She didn't just let a few tears escape her eyes before she wiped them hastily away, or blinked frantically to chase them away. She practically burst out in tears, a hot rain that thankfully Unohana took on her breast without much discomfort. Yuzu didn't remember when she had last cried like this, but that night she let everything out, and Retsu listened to her patiently, just like a mother would soothe her child after a nightmare.

After she calmed down and told her everything that had happened, the healer brewed some tea and helped her swallow it. Yuzu's throat hurt, and her voice had gotten raspy from all the talking, but at least she said what she wanted to say and, surprisingly, did feel better. As if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

"If this is of any comfort to you, things could've been worse." Retsu said "At least she didn't accomplish her primal objective…And you are young, Yuzu-san. You still can gain a more…optimistic perspective of the world. You have room for happy memories. You can make them. There are people who never recover from the trauma, because it's too late."

"Like whom?" she sniffled. Unohana sighed. She wasn't supposed to talk about this with strangers…she had an obligation to her patients…but Yuzu also needed her help.

"There was a lieutenant in the Gotei 13…who got very attached to their captain. She was very kind and gentle, but naïve and…well, the captain took advantage of that. He betrayed Soul Society and tried to overthrow the order we'd settled so many centuries ago. His influence on the lieutenant was so great that she went against her friends and family, and even after his death, she was still influenced by him. She nearly got herself killed, and she went so far that she was nearly past the point of forgiveness."

"What happened to her?"

Unohana smiled "She was lucky-there were people who, despite the things she'd done, were willing to help her. But it was only by a thread that she saved herself-it was made very clear to her that if she failed again, she'd lose everything-her friends, her lover and the life she'd worked so hard to re-build. She's still awkward with a childhood friend of hers, the only family she had. It took a while before she was even able to accept the truth." She shook her head "Based on the evidence, Yuzu-san, you're luckier than she has. You were able to fight back before any real damage was done."

"I only cause trouble for everyone." Yuzu sighed "I'm no good. I wonder if it's better if Byakuya-san hadn't ever laid eyes on me."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm the one who got attacked. He was probably worried. And I couldn't do anything until that woman was nearly…I wish I was stronger."

Retsu chuckled "Would you believe me if I told you that your brother sang the same song when he was in the beginning of his Substitute Shinigami duties?"

"Still, it would've been better if I could fight for myself, and not have people save me." She thought for a minute "Maybe if I…"

"I would advise you against it, Yuzu-san." Unohana's expression became severe "Your brother's case was unprecedented, and he did a lot of things before Yamamoto Sou-Taicho decided to pull a few strings and not have him assassinated. Hollowfication, whether it is used on humans or shinigami, is illegal, and I won't be exaggerating if I told you that twelve captains and lieutenants were nearly killed when they became victims of an experiment. Besides, you're too young to be giving up your life."

"Yes, but…Kuchiki-san…Byakuya-san…he must really hate me for being so troublesome."

The healer sighed. "Kuchiki-taicho is a reserved man. But he's not heartless. Believe me, a hundred or so years back, he was fighting to control his temper through a tea ceremony. He was even more impatient than Kurosaki-kun."

"He was more impulsive than Ichi-nii?" her eyes widened "I never thought THAT could be possible. How long do you know him?"

"I was the captain of my division a lot before he was even accepted in the sixth. He climbed the ranks quickly, though. He was a lieutenant in less than ten years. Some blamed it on the fact that his grandfather was the taicho, but he proved to everyone that he deserved it. He was very protective of what he held dear, and fought for it. Mostly for Hisana, and now for you. I've never seen anyone go out against so many things for a single person, but he did. He tried to change his family for your sake, to avoid things like this from happening. I think…" she said as she got up to leave "That perhaps he's the one who would need the more counseling. Not you, Yuzu-san."

* * *

Yuzu saw Unohana off. The tall man who had accompanied her was waiting in front of the accommodation, and gave her a wave as they took off. They were such a strange couple-he was towering over her, looking more like a bandit with the scars and the eye patch, but she was the one who seemed more authoritive. They were so…cute!

She took a bath and changed into more comfortable clothes. The ones she had worn earlier were tossed in the washing machine rather quickly, and she hoped that the bad memories would be washed away into the drain. She liked that skirt.

It was only when she headed for her bedroom that she felt something was wrong. Whirling around, Yuzu was glad that she didn't find any more intruders…but there was something in the air that made her edgy.

"Byakuya-san?" she linked a few times before she made out the shadow. Slowly, her senses got accommodated to the strange pattern and she saw him clearly. It was strange-knowing that it wasn't a hallucination anymore, that is. And she was glad to discover that the gigai had done him justice…Wars, assassins, crazy concubines…if a change of his looks had been added to the mix, she wouldn't have been able to take it in.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion. I wanted to make sure you are safe for tonight."

"I'll be…fine." She mumbled, insecurely. Yuzu remembered that she was supposed to be serving tea…but how could she serve tea to a soul. He seemed to notice her discomfort, because he said:

"There is no need for you to worry. I'll watch over you, but I don't need nourishment."

"That's…um…" her voice faltered. Why was it so hard to talk to him?

"Just go to bed. I'll be here."

Suddenly, Yuzu felt something spark in her. Was it because of his cold tone, or was it just the Kurosaki temper, she wasn't sure, but she suddenly turned towards him, positively furious. She wasn't going to let him _dismiss_ her as if she was a servant, or a child that was banned from dinner. Sure, she was a baby compared to him, but that didn't change the fact that he was the man she loved and she wasn't going to let him patronize her while they still had unsettled things between them. They were going to _talk_, and by talk she meant on the same level.

"No."

"I beg your pardon?" he looked at her, oblivious to what was happening.

"I refuse to go to bed. I refuse to do anything, until we talk." She said, placing her hands on her hips in what she hoped to be a threatening pose. She'd seen Rukia-nee do the same thing with Ichi-nii, and that had worked wonders.

Unfortunately, that didn't work on all the men. Byakuya merely looked at her quizzically. "Does that include your fastening up your robes?" she followed his gaze downwards and squeaked, before whirling around to fix her yukata. Then, still blushing, she turned around to face him. Thankfully, he spared her the embarrassment: "What do you want to talk about?"

"You told me that there were a lot of things that are still unsaid. I want to hear the rest of it."

Byakuya bowed his head. "After what happened tonight, I hardly have the right to force my feelings on you."

"You couldn't have known that…" she paused and took a deep breath "Natsuki-san's actions tonight were not correct, but she's bound to have a reason for…"

"No, she doesn't." suddenly, he looked up and what she saw made her take a step back. Kuchiki Byakuya, the infamous ice cube of the Gotei 13, looked positively furious. "Her doings were lower than low, and will be punished as follows, but I will not have anyone tell me that they were justified."

"But she loves you!" Yuzu exclaimed "She loves you, and yet you treat her feelings with contempt."

"The way concubines are treated is none…" he shook his head and tried to regain his composure "Yuzu-san, I understand that it's been a confusing night, and I will not try to hide that I am most unhappy…but you must not confuse her pride and selfishness for love. Allow me to explain…" he put up a hand "…The Kuchiki-clan is one of the most powerful families of Seiretei. They were never pleased with my choice of bride, and then with my decision of never marrying. They did everything they could to make me produce and heir, and I confess, I have been weak…" Byakuya sighed "…Whatever I might have done, I've made it clear that I don't love her, and she's not in love with me. Her feelings are nothing but of selfishness and possessiveness."

"But…" Yuzu began, but he cut her off

"Yuzu-san, she wouldn't have attacked you if she truly loved me. She would've ranted and screamed and said things that would scratch, but not hurt you. She wouldn't have tried to degrade or kill you."

She bowed her head, taking in the truth of those words. "And yet…what is to become of her?"

Byakuya sighed as he led her to her room and sat on the edge of her bed as she was tucking herself in. "Her fate is pending. She attacked and threatened you, sister of Kurosaki Ichigo and Kurosaki Rukia…they're both distinguished members of the Gotei 13 and an offence to you is considered an offence to them. And offence to members of the Thirteen Court Guards is taken very seriously. Everyone who considers their friend amongst the taichos and fukutaichos will insist on the maximal sentence. Even IF I speak in her favor, my vote would be overruled by nearly everyone else. And if what Unohana-taicho tells me is true, Himemiya Natsuki is also responsible for several unexpected child deaths in the Kuchiki family."

Yuzu's face fell. She bowed her head to hide the tears that were coming up in her eyes. Why was she feeling so sad? She knew none of those people, and yet she felt something strangling her-she had lived through the loss of a beloved parent, but she could only imagine the grief and shock of those people who lost their children. A ghostly hand rested on top of hers and she looked up to see that Byakuya was closer to her than before. His eyes were looking at her with a mixture of concern and…what?

"Whatever she has done…" he said "…Has nothing to do with you. It is nobody's fault that she decided to do things the way she did. All we can do is hope that her victims live a happier life, and move on."

"Your words are true…" she sighed "And yet…what did you really want to say to me? Honestly."

"From the beginning…" he said "All I wanted was to make things clear, and then tell you how I felt."

"You do realize that's a coward's way to go about it. Making sure your feelings are safe, and your heart would not be broken."

"I do." He bit his lip "But…I had to be honest with you. I knew that if I lied to you, you'd never forgive me. And besides, I promised your brother that I would not burden you with my feelings unless I was sure that you'd be intact."

"And?"

"I love you, Yuzu." She closed her eyes and waited for something bad to happen. But it didn't so she opened them and bent down to place a kiss on the ghostly lips. The feeling of it all was…overwhelming, but definitely not unwelcome.

* * *

A/N-I certainly hope this wasn't as horrible as I think it is. There will be at least another chapter, though, so I'll be able to make amends. Please review and give me your opinion! Your_ honest_ opinion, people!


	8. Chapter 8

**

* * *

**

Breaking free

"Taicho?" Renji rubbed his eyes sleepily as he received the Hell Butterfly

"Abarai. Have I woken you up?" Byakuya's voice had a weird quirk to it, but the red-head couldn't make out why. Then again, his night had been more than…eventful. Wincing at the claw marks and love bites all over his body, the 6th division lieutenant got off Honsho Chizuru's bed and looked for his clothes.

"It doesn't matter. What's wrong, taicho?"

"Nothing." He hesitated "Last night, Zaraki taicho, Unohana taicho and myself arrested an intruder in Kurosaki Yuzu's home. A soul that utilized a gigai."

"What?!" he stiffened. Why hadn't he been informed…oh, right, he'd been too busy fretting over his unfortunate crush. "Is Yuzu-chan alright?"

"She's…unharmed."

"Is the soul a shinigami?"

"No. She's a member of the Kuchiki household. However, she attacked a member of the Kurosaki family, which means that we must treat her like a shinigami deserter. Unohana taicho and Zaraki taicho have already departed for Seiretei in order to escort her to the authorities, so you must look after Karakura until they return."

"Got it, taicho. But…what about you?"

"Unfortunately, Yuzu-san's gone through quite a lot, even though she is not hurt. I've taken it upon myself to…distract her."

"Oh…" Renji blinked slowly "Why?"

"That is none of your concern, Abarai-fukutaicho. Since Kurosaki and Rukia arrive this afternoon, you won't have to be worried about the safety of the town for too long." There was a pause "Please, try to keep them distracted."

"Jeez, taicho, you sound like you're going on a date."

There was silence.

"Are…you?"

"There are Hollow readings on the North-East, Abarai. Get to it!"

The connection was cut off. Renji shook his head, before slipping into his pants and running out. However, in the midst of the fight with the Hollows, realization dawned on him and almost cost him his head. "HOSHIT! HE USED AN APOSTROPHE AGAIN!" he realized what was happening and decapitating the Hollow, before cursing: "Shit, when did Taicho become a cradle robber?"

* * *

Yuzu woke up to find Byakuya in the same position she left him last night-seated near her bed. His eyes were closed, but even in this form she could noticed the strain on his shoulders that told off the truth-he was on guard. Gently, so that she wouldn't freak him out (a zanpakuto is sharp and dangerous to every creature), Yuzu reached out and brushed her fingers against his cheek. He didn't flinch or jump up-instead, he just opened his eyes.

The look he gave her was so warm it could melt a block of ice. And then he smiled. He actually smiled. Yuzu felt faint. "Good morning."

"It's more like a good day." She threw a look at the clock and blanched "Oh my, I'm late! I have to call and…"

"I already have…Or, to be correct, I called your father. He was kind enough to inform your employer that you need a break."

"What? He…you told him what…and he told…"

"Unohana-san informed him…and he conjured up an excuse for your employers. They were kind enough to give you a week's leave of absence."

"But…daddy…."

"He's aware of everything. I'll tell you later." He held up a held to stop an upcoming question "As for your employers, they've been told what we told your neighbors-a mentally ill woman escaped the clinic nearby and broke into your apartment, threatening your life. It made our sudden appearance logical and they will not ask any bothersome questions. To everyone you have gone through a traumatic experience and need to be left alone."

"Is that why you returned into this form? So they wouldn't gossip?" Yuzu asked

"You must understand…" Byakuya sighed "Although you are of the full legal age, you are still very young. Having men stay the night in your home is certainly not what you need right now."

"But I don't care about people's comments." Angry red spots painted her cheeks as she threw the covers up and got up "Byakuya-san, I'm a grown person. My neighbors know that I'm honest and trustworthy-they're hardly the people that would gossip about something that isn't even true!"

"You may think that it's pointless, but for as long as I can prevent it, you won't be stressed over petty things. Your neighbors may mean well, but a man staying in for the night is hardly something they can close their eyes to."

Yuzu closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. He was right-if they got ideas, it wouldn't be their fault. Still…

"Does that mean that when we go out, I must pretend that you're not there? I must force myself not to look at you, or talk to you…I must act as if I'm alone."

"For just about as long as we're at your father's clinic." Byakuya confirmed "I will leave you to take care of your attire. Choose something comfortable, Yuzu-san."

"Comfortable? Why?" she eyed him suspiciously.

Byakuya gave her a look over the shoulder as he exited the room "Because we're going out on a date, of course."

Yuzu stared dumbly, before making a mad dash for her closet. 'Stupid, stupid!' she thought frantically as she fished in 'You know that the man of your dreams is interested you, why didn't you buy anything better, damn it!'. She picked a dress, looked at herself in the mirror and took it off immediately; she swapped it for a sweater and skirt, took off the skirt and put on jeans, took the sweater off and put on a top, then changed the top for a shirt. Finally, she nodded to herself and went to Byakuya.

* * *

The trip to her father's clinic had never felt so long. Yuzu was itching to turn and look at Byakuya, to make sure he was there, but he thought about it on time and placed his hand on her forearm-having his presence there was all she contented herself with until the Kurosaki clinic came to sight.

Isshin ginned and hugged his daughter, acting as if he wasn't seeing Byakuya at all. Then he lead her to her old room and put down the blinds.

"There. I think it's safe now." He said before making Yuzu sit down on the bed and handed her a pill that looked like a piece of candy. "Take it, Yuzu-chan, before your suitor gets sick of waiting."

She was confused, but popped the candy in her mouth. No sooner had she swallowed it when she felt like she'd been punched in the gut and her flew out of her body. She was terrified, until she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her body. Her head whirled around to meet Byakuya's face. "What…"

"Good job, Yuzu-chan, Poppa's proud of you!" Isshin chirped as he also put the gikon pill in his mouth and came out of his gigai to see them better. "You got the hand of it from the first go! Ah, to be young again! Take good care of her, Byakuya, and have her home before it got too late, alright?!"

"Of course. I'll won't lose sight of her."

"And don't do anything naughty either." Isshin suddenly got serious "If I learn that Yuzu-chan's displeased with you, Ichigo won't be the only one coming after you."

"I'll keep it in mind." Byakuya said, before looking down at the girl in his arms. "Are you ready?"

"Ready? For what?" Still dizzy, Yuzu couldn't process what was going on.

"Our date." He replied patiently "Are you ready?"

"Well…erm…I guess…Sure…" she babbled. He nodded, his grip on her tightened and a second later he flashed them out of the room, out of the clinic, and out of Karakura. Yuzu shut her eyes and held her breath, listening to the mad whoosh of the wind as they passed buildings in speed that was humanly impossible. She expected nausea or fear, but none came.

Suddenly, she felt a hot wind blow on her face and heard his voice in her ear: "Yuzu-san, open your eyes."

The light blinded her for a second and she felt tipsy. Immediately, he gripped her shoulder and held her in place as she got accustomed to the brightness. When she made out her surroundings, she realized that she was on the beach.

The summer day was hot and bright, and yet she didn't feel at least one bit uncomfortable. The waves washed the shore, inches from her feet, begging her to bend down and enjoy the soothing water. She smiled as she looked up at him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. This is…this place is beautiful, Byakuya-san. It's like a…" her eyes roamed the landscape, searching for the best words to describe it "…It's as if we're in a fairy tale. I've never been here!"

"Never?" he seemed surprised "But…we're not ten miles from Karakura."

"I've never left the town to know." She shook her head. "And yet…this place seems so lovely…It's almost unreal-I can't believe that someone hasn't tried his hand into turning it into a fancy resort."

"Ishida Ryuuken built a fancy escape nearby-the beach is part of the property. Access is not granted the general public, and the usual customers are too busy now. It's also ancient Quincy archery grounds, so it's got protective seals all over-we won't get attacked by Hollows."

"That explains it." Yuzu murmured slowly "But…couldn't we have come here in our normal…I mean, couldn't you have used a faux body?"

"I could, but it would've been easier using shunpo to get here. And…" his hand rested near the hilt of his zanpakuto "…In this form, it would be easier to protect you if something happens." Byakuya's grim expression softened when he looked at her "Is something the matter?"

"No." she shook her head, feeling silly "It's alright."

"Have I said something wrong?" he asked quickly, kneeling down next to her "You seem distressed…"

"No, it's fine." Yuu hurried to explain. "I was acting childish…I thought that you were…ashamed to be seen in public with me…but that's stupid because you were only worried about me…I'm sorry, it's really silly…"

"No." he squeezed her hand between his own "It's my fault for not telling you what we were doing first. Forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive…I was just thinking stupid things…"

Byakuya sighed and got on his feet, then gently pulled her forward. They walked in silence for a few minutes, before he opened his lips. "I'm really the worst. I went through an entire course to know how women felt and I have learned nothing." Yuzu looked at him in surprise, but said nothing. "I know it's wrong to look for excuses but…I've never really known what to say to women. I've been brought up to believe that the sun should change his course if I ordered it to, and I still would, had Rukia and your brother not humbled me. My pride has become proverbial in Soul Society. Needless to say that I've never been taught that women had to be talked to as equals."

"I suppose that your family wanted you to marry a noble woman." She said slowly.

"Yes. They were most displeased with my marriage with Hisana, but now that I think about it, it wouldn't have caused such a violent reaction from them had I followed the proper procedure, given them time to mask things and fool the other noble families. My marriage was rather abrupt and unexpected-it caused a scandal, and the Kuchiki family was shunned by the other houses until she died. They said that it was lucky we didn't have any children."

"That's cruel!" Yuzu exclaimed "They make it sound as if she wasn't a human being! Aren't we all equal? We're made out of the same things, and we have the same soul! And she loved you! How could they say things like that?!"

"They have their values, Yuzu-san…"

"It's Yuzu! You've known me for seven years, and I suspect you've loved me for as long! Just call me Yuzu!"

"That's not very formal." He pointed out. "You deserve to be treated like a lady."

"The woman last night didn't think so." She said, and immediately regretted. His eyes darkened to storm gray and suddenly he gripped her arm painfully.

He turned around to face her and rested his hands on her shoulders "Don't ever say something like that! If it's up to me, I will never let something like this happen to you! Himemiya Natsuki may be noble by blood, may have received the best education, may have wonderful manners, but she lacks the basic common sense. She knows nothing but pride and cruelty-if there is anything she deserves, it is your pity, and nothing else."

"And yet I can't help feeling that we should do something for her." Yuzu said "Isn't there anything that you can say on her behalf?"

"I can say that she's utterly stupid, which will give her an eternal exile instead of a quick execution." He shook his head "It would be pointless-as soon as your brother hears of this, he'll want to behead her first…if Rukia doesn't get ahead of him and does it herself."

Yuzu blanched, and he hurried to reassure her: "But, she'll most certainly be better off this way. If she goes mad, she can harm others and herself, and exile is a never ending agony. It's better this way."

"I know but…she's a person too. She deserves better than that."

"It's still too early for you to bother about this…and there is still too much for you to comprehend. Whatever sentence she gets, it will be well deserved."

"I'm sorry. I guess I can't see things from your perspective."

"It's better that way. And besides…" he smiled "This is your day. Let's not spoil it with dark thoughts any more."

* * *

The rest of the day was a happy blur. Apparently, the spirit form of their bodies didn't stop them from feeling the heat of the sun, the raspy sand underneath their feet, or the salty breath of the sea, and they took advantage of it as much as possible. She drew figures in the sand and he showed her a game with seashells. They chased the wind and ran from tidal waves. They didn't seem to get tired or hungry, and thankfully, nobody came to disturb them.

Some time later, they sat on the breakwater and gazed ahead of them. The navy sea met the azure of the sky-an eternal blue, specked here and there with sea bunnies and herring-gulls, and crossed by the white line of the horizon. The serenity of the view was absolutely mesmerizing.

Yuzu felt something wrap around her shoulders and looked up to find that Byakuya had draped his white haori around her. It was heavy and rough, made of some matter that was meant to protect a person, but it felt…familiar. It smelled like cherry blossoms and fresh snow…like early Spring. She looked up and smiled at Byakuya.

"We should head back." The sun was setting slowly, turning the world into a whirl of Technicolor.

"Do you think so?" they had spent so much time there. She was still new to those things, but didn't they need some rest before they preformed this…flash step? They had been on the move all day. Her pace was still steady, but it was considerably slower. She had half-hoped that they might have to spend the night together.

Then again, the answer to that was pretty obvious. They didn't have anywhere to sleep. The weather got colder. Not to mention that her family might be worried about her. Come to think about it…wasn't Ichi-nii supposed to return today. Yuzu was stunned that she had forgotten…but then again it wasn't that hard.

What would Ichi-nii do when he found out where she was? If he was as prodigious in being a shinigami as Byakuya said, he would find them in no time.

And Byakuya was a captain. It would take a lot more than a long walk to tire him.

"What is it?" Noticing her pensive expression, he was intrigued

"I…" Yuzu shook her head "It's nothing. I was thinking that since we're here…and it's late…but it took you less than a minute to get us here. We couldn't possibly stay the night."

"I'm afraid that it wouldn't be good for you if you spent a long time away from your body." Byakuya said as he helped her get down from the reef. "If you spend more than 48 hours out of it, it may die and your soul would be stuck in the human world."

"Yes…" she nodded "I guess that's…that makes sense." However, she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

Honestly, even now, she was getting ahead of herself. What did she think that was going to happen? What did she expect? It was still too early for these kinds of things, and she'd nearly been raped and paralyzed for life just yesterday. Yuzu shook her head-the atmosphere was all wrong for something like that. It was still too early, and she was still too young. Compared to him, she was a baby-how could he bring himself to touch her if he couldn't even hug her…

And yet…she'd hoped for something. Anything. After that first kiss in her kitchen, he'd never held her like that again. It made her feel alienated, and even the memory of that time was foggy and unreal. It hadn't been more than a week and still…it was like the ghost of a dream.

"Don't worry." He said "We don't have to be in spirit form to go out like this. Next time, you'll show me the city."

"But you already know the city." Yuzu shook her head. Byakuya paused when he noticed the look on her face. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek and made her look up. Gently, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips before mumbling.

"But you will show me everything." Then, putting out his hand for her to lean on, he flashed them both back to Karakura.

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A/N-Can't have an ending without a drabble...so expect one more chappie. Guess what, I'm going to write a crack yuri fic. How does SunSun/SoiFong sound to you?

I'd say Happy Valentine's Day, but in my country, it's Trifon Zarezan, when we celebrate wine...typicult bulgarian behavior, when the whole world wants love, we get pissed drunk....ah, well. Happy Holidays. Cheers!


	9. Chapter 9

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Your heart

She never imagined that her brother could do that! He was the one going after Rukia-chan, he married her even though her family would be very displeased, he actually made a deal with Byakuya-san to wait before he conveyed his feelings for her and then he had the nerve to PUNCH him? If Yuzu wasn't…well, Yuzu, she'd have called him a hypocrite and thrown a fit.

As it was, she contented herself with watching Byakuya heal his spiritual body and then pressed some ice to the head of his gigai.

"I won't allow this!" Ichigo was raging

"Shut up, Strawberry! You made a deal, remember?!"

"I don't care. He can't just extract her soul from her body and run off somewhere…"

"Your father was well aware…"

"And I'm gonna kill him…as soon as he returns to HIS body!"

"Your father's already dead."

"I don't care!"

"Ichigo, why can't you control yourself? You and Nii-sama had an agreement, and he fulfilled it! Unlike you, impatient bastard."

"Jeez, midget, I told him to confess when he was sure she was ready, not to go off and put her in danger!"

"Nii-sama would never put Yuzu-chan in danger and you know it! They went to the Quincy grounds."

"Yeah, a desert beach where he could…"

"Of, for the love of God!" Yuzu heard herself exclaiming. She got off the couch and rushed into the other room, where her brother and sister stayed, and did something very unlike herself.

She slapped Ichigo.

"Ichi-nii, you idiot! Why can't you show some more respect? Byakuya-san saved my life, you can at least give him credit for that?!"

"Yuzu-chan…" Rukia tried to calm her down "Ichigo never meant that. He's just a little upset because he wasn't told about this at once."

"Damn straight I'm upset!" Ichigo, ignoring the slap, raged around the room "A crazy woman barges into your apartment and the best he could come up with is take you to the beach."

"Ichigo, just be glad it wasn't assassins again!" Rukia shook her head "Nii-sama's protected Yuzu-chan the best he could, you can't blame him for not being God!"

"He's a GOD of DEATH!"

"That doesn't make him perfect!"

"Midget, stop defending him."

"Then stop attacking him, you bastard!"

Yuzu watched them argue, surprised that they managed to leave her out of the conversation once again, and without even breaking a sweat. As if she was invisible. Shaking her head, she stepped forward and pulled her brother's ear.

"Ouch! Yuzu! What was that for?!"

"There are still patients in this clinic!" Yuzu chastised him "Both of you, stop screaming like a couple of three-year olds and for once, argue like intelligent people!"

Rukia stared at her sister-in-law while a grumbling Ichigo settled himself on the sofa. Yuzu felt her cheeks burn, but pushed the feeling aside, before saying:

"Ichi-nii, Byakuya-san already told me everything-from the love potion to the deal you've struck. And even though I appreciate your concern, I think I'm old enough to decide who will I date on my own."

"The hell?! You were fifteen! He could've molested you and you wouldn't have even known what…"

"Ichi-nii, Byakuya-san would've never done that!"

"Well, yeah, we're really lucky there! He's not the type, but what about the next weirdo that comes around you? You're too nice to turn them down, Yuzu, even when they're stinky, smelly and nasty!"

"There will not be another weirdo, Kurosaki." Byakuya's calm and collected voice made all three jump. Apparently, he'd had enough time to get into his gigai and come down to them. While Ichigo was sputtering and changing color, he sat down next to Yuzu and took her hand into his. The young woman blushed, but laced her fingers with his, squeezing lightly. The small smile that flickered across his face (a little black and blue, courtesy to her brother), was enough to make her euphoric. "I would be a careless keeper if I put Yuzu in danger."

"Well guess what, you already have!"

"I will attribute your total ignorance of the ways of nobility, Kurosaki. Whatever opinion concubines have, it is not considered."

"You don't consider they have rights, don't you?!"

"Just because you won a battle with the elders of the Kuchiki clan doesn't mean that you can lead an all-out war against everything that doesn't match your culture's definition of rightful. Given the situation, you should be pleased that they're not all as violent in their emotions as Natsuki."

"Don't you dare mention her name! As soon as I see Yama-jii, I'll make him execute her and…'

"PLEASE!" Yuzu exclaimed "I've already heard enough of this. Ichi-nii, it wasn't Byakuya-san's fault! I was the one that couldn't swallow everything at first! I was the one that didn't accept it! It took me time to get used to this, and it gave that woman an advantage!"

"Yuzu, stop blaming yourself! It's not your fault."

"Or his. Just answer one thing for me…" Yuzu looked at her brother in the eyes "Do you accept Byakuya-san?"

"Darn…" Ichigo scratched his head "He's my brother-in-law, even if I didn't accept him, it wouldn't make a difference, right?"

"Please, Ichi-nii." Yuzu's eyes gleamed with unshed tears "I've been in love with Byakuya-san for as long as he's been in love with me!"

"Yeah, but…" Ichigo sighed "Damn it, Yuzu. I told him that he could date you if you accepted him, but…Can you even begin to understand what is this? He's dead, and a snob, and ancient…"

"I've chosen him." She said firmly "And, for the past few days, have thought about everything there is. Nothing you could tell me can change the fact that I love him. Byakuya-san treats me like an adult, which is why it's so important that you to do the same and accept him."

Ichigo shook his head.

"For crying out loud, Yuzu. You know it's not that easy." She took a deep breath. Please, don't let me cry in front of them, please, she prayed.

"You know I'll never be too happy that my baby sister's grown up…But I can't stop you from doing what you want to do." She blinked. Was that…

"Just to let you know, though…" he went on "I won't stop rambling, and if that bastard mistreats you…"

"THANK YOU!" Yuzu leaped over to his side and gave him a hug that made his bones crack. While they watched Ichigo try and worm out of it, Rukia and Byakiya exchanged a smiling nod.

* * *

Later that night, Yuzu was walking back to her apartment, her arms wrapped around Byakuya's tightly. He was a little stiff, but she knew better than to suppose that he was feeling uncomfortable. Given the lack of experience he had in the PDA department, this was probably the highest point he was capable of for now.

But she didn't care. Nothing could compare to the warmth that filled her body when he held her hand back then, to that look he'd given her, filled with affection and care. The brief disappointment she'd felt on the beach vanished completely, to be replaced by the sheer joy that he was there, that he loved her, that it wasn't a dream and that he wouldn't go away.

They reached the doorstep, and Byakuya kissed her hand gallantly. Yuzu gently held his and made him look up. The smile on her face held him transfixed for a few seconds, before he gently tried to pull away. "It's been a long day, Yuzu. You should rest."

"But can't you stay a little longer?" she titled her head on the side "We've been waiting for this for so long…and now we don't have to worry about being rejected either."

"I know." He bowed his head, but she caught the smile that flickered in his eyes "My fukutaicho's been in a similar position to mine for a while as well…"

"He's fallen in love with the sister of his brother-in-law?" Byakuya stiffened, but she small chuckle could not be suppressed.

"No. But it wasn't possible for him to be with the woman he fell in love with and…in their case, it was a question of personal beliefs other than anything else."

"But they are together now, aren't they?"

"Given how much he's been skipping on his duties, I suppose so." He finally looked up. "But the fact that we're no longer afraid to express our love doesn't mean that we should rush in."

"You still consider me a child?" Yuzu sighed. Byakuya shook his head and ran his fingers through her hair before resting them on her cheek.

"That's not true." He said, before bowing down to kiss her softly. Yuzu reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as he could be. She tried to show him, to tell him how she felt, but he only sighed and, after a few minutes, reached back and undid the stranglehold she had on him. The young woman felt shaken-both with passion and frustration.

"We still have a lot of time ahead of us." Byakuya sighed, while his thumb traced shadows on her cheeks "And I'm not going anywhere, Yuzu."

"But what if we're missing another chance here?" she asked "What if something goes wrong, and when we look back we realize that we should've done this in the first place."

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me." He said firmly, not moving an inch from the position he'd been in while they kissed. "Saying that I don't want you would be blasphemous. I love you."

"And I love you…" she whispered "So why…"

"One step at a time…" he whispered "I won't let you go."

She didn't say anything, but she rested her head on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her head.

A single strand of gold pierced the horizon, before the sky turned into a gentle shade of lilac. Slowly, the world brightened up, as the light painted the city red and lit fire in the windows. Yuzu fell asleep on his shoulder before the sun was up, but Byakuya waited on the terrace for the aurora to finish her run over their heads before he carried his beloved inside.

_Que le vent qui gémit, le roseau qui soupire,  
Que les parfums légers de ton air embaumé,  
Que tout ce qu'on entend, l'on voit ou l'on respire,  
Tout dise : Ils ont aimé !_

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A/N-Hope it turned out well enough. Please tell me what you think! Give me pointers! Tell me how I've done! The verses in the end are from a poem by Alphonse de Lamartine, called "Le Lac" or "The Lake". He's one of my favorites, and also the patron of my school. I thought it would be an appropriate ending


End file.
